Angels send reliever Luis García to Red Sox for 4 prospects

The Los Angeles Angels traded right-handed reliever Luis García to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for right-handed pitchers Ryan Zeferjahn and Yeferson Vargas, outfielder Matthew Lugo, and first baseman Niko Kavadas, the teams announced.

García, 37, put up a 3.71 ERA, 3.68 FIP, and 1.17 WHIP along with 40 strikeouts and four saves in 45 appearances for the Angels this season. He joined Los Angeles on a one-year deal in free agency this past winter.

The 12-year veteran will provide some depth for the Red Sox bullpen during the stretch run.

Zeferjhan, the first prospect headed to the Angels, was Boston's third-round draft pick in 2019. The 26-year-old reliever owns a 3.52 ERA and 1.28 WHIP along with 53 strikeouts and seven saves across 38 1/3 innings split between Triple-A Worcester and Double-A Portland this year.

Lugo, 23, was ranked as Boston's No. 23 prospect by Baseball America prior to the trade and was the only one of the four players acquired by L.A. to be on that list. A second-round pick of the Red Sox in 2019, he hit .285/.375/.567 with 16 homers, 54 RBIs, and 16 steals in 78 total games this season split between Worcester and Portland.

Kavadas, 25, owns a .281/.424/.551 slash line with 17 homers and 63 RBIs across 335 plate appearances at Worcester in 2024. Defensively, he's a strict first baseman, and he's split time between first and DH this year.

Vargas, who will turn 20 on Aug. 4, is in his second professional season and first pitching in the United States. He put up a 3.03 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and 15 walks across 11 appearances (four starts) this year, mostly for Boston's Florida Complex League affiliate.