The Cleveland Guardians swept the Los Angeles Angels in their three-game series this week, and former Angels outfielder Jo Adell described the experience as “pretty surreal,” according to a piece by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
Adell was traded to Cleveland for prospects at the deadline, and he’s now with a winning team that’s in contention in the AL Central.
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“It was kind of weird not parking in the players’ lot,” Adell said. “I was at Gate A when I came down and made a left instead of a right. So it’s a little bit different, but it was cool that I got to see some of the guys, and it’s cool to be back.”
The 27-year old outfielder started his career in Anaheim, and he hit almost 40 homers last season. This year was a disappointment, but Adell expressed no regrets about the experience.
“I turned into a man and a big leaguer in the Angels organization,” Adell said. “I got a chance to grow up and find who I was as a player. It’s just a full-circle moment to be here and be on the other side and playing this group. But a lot of great memories here and I became the player that I am today in this organization. So, it’s pretty surreal to be on the other end.”
Adell added that he wasn’t surprised to be traded, and he prepared himself for the possibility last season as well. But the chances of a trade grew exponentially when GM Perry Minasian was fired, with his interim replacement, John Mozeliak, committed to cleaning house.
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“It’s one of those things where even last year, there was a chance,” Adell said. “There’s always a chance, especially with teams looking for needs. I knew my name was being thrown around and obviously once it started kind of rolling with getting rid of some players, I knew there was a chance, and when I got the call, it was no secret that I was on the move.”
The final footnote happened when Adell found out about the trade during a golf outing led by outfielder Mike Trout, who has his own golf course that he used on the road trip with teammates in tow. But several weren’t teammates by the end of the round when trade notifications kept hitting different players on the golf course, which helped contribute to the surreal nature of the experience.
“That golf course is unbelievable, I’ll tell you that,” Adell said. “I got through about the eighth hole before I left. So I got my nine holes in before I had to leave. But a pretty good send-off right there.”
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