Last night Tampa Bay Rays third basemanJunior Caminero pulled an inside fastball down the line for a key two run home run. Another highlight in a brilliant young career, this dinger helped propel his team to the 2026 World Series and further cemented his standing as one of the games great young stars.
As he rounded the bases he cupped his hand to his ear to soak in the adulation of the home crowd in Florida. But if were not for the meddling of Angels owner Arte Moreno, he would have spent the last two seasons playing in Anaheim and the Angels would be much further along in their rebuild.
Inside the 2023 Trade Deadline: The Deal That Almost Shocked Baseball
During the frantic weeks leading up to the 2023 MLB trade deadline, the Rays emerged as aggressive suitors for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Despite the Angels' public stance that they were pushing for a postseason run, back channel negotiations occurred. Desperate to win the first World Series in franchise history, the Rays ultimately pushed a massive prospect package to the center of the table. They were all in.
Junior Caminero was easily the crown jewel of the package and the type of player Tampa never trades away. The Rays top rated prospect was considered the 6th best in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline and scouts raved about his plus bat and plus-plus power. With a decent glove and strong arm, he projected to be the Angels savior at third base and a long term middle of the order bat.
At the time of the 2023 trade deadline Caminero was 19 years old and was hitting .324 with 31 home runs across High A and AA. Those are incredible stats for any prospect, much less one that is several years younger than his competition.
Two other prospects from the Rays loaded system were rumored to be joining Caminero. Over time several proposals have been discussed and the most common name was shortstop Carson Williams. The second rated prospect in the Rays system, Williams was rated the 22nd best prospect in baseball due to his slick fielding and raw power. The 23 year old has struggled in limited MLB action but posted a very solid .243/.342/.454 line through 577 minor league games.
Why Arte Moreno Reportedly Vetoed the Tampa Bay Rays Deal
Despite general manager Perry Minasian navigating a potential historic return for a player destined for free agency, Angels owner Arte Moreno personally stepped in and blocked the transaction. Moreno's refusal to trade Ohtani stemmed from two main factors the epitomize why he was such a failure as an owner.
Primarily, Moreno believed the Angels were legitimate playoff contenders despite a record hovering around .500 and a far tougher schedule ahead of them they had behind them. Beyond the tough schedule, the Angels were a few games out of a Wild Card spot at the deadline. But yet Arte instructed his front office to buy instead of sell at the deadline.
Pride also played a huge factor. Moreno was adamantly opposed to being the owner who traded away a generational icon, preferring to hold onto Ohtani for a failed playoff push rather than securing the franchise's future stability. In numerous public statements Moreno stated he refused to rebuild and tried to win every year. Trading Ohtani would run counter to Arte's Quixotic outlook.
Junior Caminero’s Rise vs. The Angels' Bleak Reality
Rather than trading away the iconic Shohei Ohtani, Moreno let him walk in free agency. Even when given the opportunity to match the Dodgers offer Moreno made no effort. Rather than landing Junior Caminero or any other talent, the Angels picked up the 74th overall draft pick in the 2024 draft as compensation for watching Ohtani sign with their cross town rivals. The Angels used the pick on starter Ryan Johnson.
Junior Caminero has emerged as the legitimate middle of the order bat the Angels desperately need. Young, cost controlled, and full of competitive fire Caminero would be a perfect addition to the Angels young core. In two plus seasons the 23 year old Dominican has produced and outstanding 10.8 bWAR, cracked 92 home runs, and carries an OPS+ of 132.
Meanwhile the Angels have lost 190 games over the last two seasons and ended both in the cellar of the AL West. Third base has been a revolving door of whiff machines like Yoan Moncada and still has no solution for 2027.
The Cost of Complacency: How the Ohtani Veto Alters Angels History
It gets no simpler than asking who would you rather have, Junior Caminero and two other Rays studs or Ryan Johnson? No disrespect to the Angels righty, but the answer is extremely obvious. Moreno blocking this trade will go down in franchise history as one of his worst blunders; even worse than when he nixed a trade that would have netted the Angels Andy Pages as part of a Taylor Ward/Luis Rengifo package.
Not only did the Angels predictably falter down the stretch and end the year without a winning record much less a playoff berth, they missed a golden opportunity add a franchise changing talent to the team. There is simply no way of drawing this equation up that is not a massive loss for Team Arte. This act of meddling by Arte was so severe former GM Jim Bowden wrote in The Athletic that Minaisan should have resigned in protests.
Would Caminero on his own be enough? Obviously not. But would the Angels rebuild look a lot more doable with an elite bat like Caminero's in the heart of the order. Let's say the lineup against a right hander goes something like Wade Meckler, Mike Trout, Moises Ballesteros, Junior Caminero, Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel as a top six. Not Murderer's Row but night and day better than the Opening Day lineups the last two seasons.
Arte Moreno's tenure will be known as one of absolute failure. Whether he traded Ohtani or not he was always going to be defined as the guy who had both Mike Trout and Ohtani and could not make the playoffs. Rather than accept reality he made a foolish decision that continues to set the Angels franchise backwards.
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