Whose a better fit for the Angels, Jay Bruce or Ben Revere?

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The Angels decided to pop the trade deadline cherry today with the acquisition of third basemen Connor Gillaspie from the White Sox. Basically this was a move due to the injury of David Freese. Gillaspie will be able to fill in as a bench player and provide not much else. He hasn’t been necessarily good at the plate in the past few seasons, even worse, his defensive statistics prove him to be more of a liability. But this move essentially cost the Angels nothing so its hard to not like it.

As for the big fish in the trade market, the Angels have been linked to both Jay Bruce and Ben Revere. According to multiple sources, the front office has been in serious conversations with both parties. Realistically, the Angels will most likely either get one or none of these two.

Jay Bruce

Lets start with the now, Bruce is hitting .250 with 15 HR and having a decent year. He is considered to be one of the top OF bats available in the market. He is due almost $13 million this season and would be another price tag for the Angels to deal with. If the Angels were to get him, the idea is that it solidifies the LF position and adds a hitter to bat 5th behind Albert Pujols everyday. Run production and power numbers have been dismal for the lineup this year besides Trout & Pujols, so it would certainly be a boost to pencil Bruce in there.

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The issue once again comes down to money. Bruce would likely cost money and a very good prospect or two. Which is where you start to question his worth. Rumors have been floating that Angel’s 2014 first round pick, Sean Newcomb, would be the centerpiece of the deal. While Newcomb may not be able to join the rotation until the middle of next season at the earliest, it is simply too much to give up for Bruce. The thought of adding another power threat to the middle of the order is nice, but not worth it this season.

Jay Bruce has dealt with inconsistencies throughout his career and really isn’t the top tier player that he’s advertised as in this market. He would help the Angels, but most likely be another high strikeout, hit or miss guy that doesn’t impact the team enough to push them over the edge.

Ben Revere

This is the guy the Angels need. And it would seem like the front office agrees, having already had a deal in place weeks ago to make it happen. Revere is hitting .302 with 22 stolen bases this season, while playing great defense. Realistically it wouldn’t cost a ton to pick him up anyways, most likely a package of good prospects that have yet to be proven.

Adding Revere would give the Angels an outstanding defense in the outfield with a ton of speed. He would most likely take over the leadoff spot immediately and give this lineup a consistent guy to set the table in front of Trout & Pujols. Still only 27 years old, Revere is only due a few million and could potentially be a long term answer in

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LF for the team.

Considering the cost, and his age, the Angels would get a steal. The defense would be upgraded, offense upgraded, and give them a big time threat on the base paths. Playoff baseball is all about manufacturing runs, and putting pressure on your opponent, guys like Revere usually play big roles in these situations. The impact from Revere would be far greater than Bruce, and make the Angels a better team all-around.