This offseason, the LA Angels and the rest of the MLB were told this would be the first season with just one trade deadline. Previously, there would be a non-waiver trade deadline at the end of July, with the waiver deadline coming a month later.
With just one deadline, teams had to decide what their organization was capable of much earlier than previously. At the time, the Angels were winning at a solid pace and against talented teams. They were still only looking for controllable assets, but they were in a buyers mood.
Two weeks later, and the team has taken a complete turn for the worse.