This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian says he doesn’t like the label of being a seller or a buyer ahead of the upcoming Trade Deadline on Aug. 2.

“I don’t believe in terms like that,” Minasian said. “I think we’re going to look for opportunities to make the club better. Whether that’s short term or long term, if something makes sense, we’ll try to accomplish that. That’s how we look at it.”

But with the way the Angels have been playing over the last two months, it’s hard to imagine them acquiring any players that will help them in the short term, as they are on the very fringe of the Wild Card chase and are likely headed to their seventh straight losing season.

The Angels would be smart to trade impending free agents for players who could help them in the future, but they’re also low on options in that regard. Right-hander Noah Syndergaard appears to be their biggest trade chip, but he’s also coming off Tommy John surgery and is making $21 million this year, so he wouldn’t come cheap to a contending team. But if the Angels are willing to eat some of that money, it would bring them a better return.

Syndergaard talked about the possibility of being traded after his start on Monday against the Royals.

"I think it would be a bittersweet moment, just because I love my time here," Syndergaard said. "But I'm not going to speak in speculation. Right now, I love where I am and I love being an Angel."

Otherwise, relievers Ryan Tepera and Aaron Loup are signed through next year but both have uncharacteristically struggled this year. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen is an impending free agent but is currently out with a shoulder injury and was scratched from his rehab start on Friday.

It brings the big question of whether the Angels would look to trade one of their superstars in Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout and start a rebuilding process. But it seems incredibly unlikely, especially for Trout, who has a full no-trade clause and is signed through the 2030 season.

Ohtani, who will be a free agent after next season, would certainly bring back a few top prospects, but would it be enough to change the direction of the franchise? That’s what Minasian has to decide, while ownership would also be heavily involved in that decision. It seems hard to believe the Angels would willingly part with Ohtani, who has been one of the most popular players in franchise history and has a strong international presence that brings in additional revenue.

Minasian was asked whether he’d consider trading a superstar like Trout or Ohtani but wouldn’t tip his hand.

“I’m not going to talk about specific people,” Minasian said. “Teams are going to call and ask about everybody. If there’s really good players on your team, for the most part, you get called and asked about them, so you don’t hang up the phone, per se. Some players are harder to trade than others, obviously.”

During his All-Star Game availability, Ohtani was also asked his thoughts about being potentially traded.

"Honestly, my future, it's all out of my control the next few weeks," Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. "It's up to Perry. I don't have much say on that. But as a team, I think we have the talent and the players to win games. We just need some momentum. I think it'll take just one big game to turn that momentum around and we're all just waiting for that to happen."