LA Angels: Will the Angels Trade Away Yunel Escobar?

The LA Angels could be sellers before the trade deadline. With two days left until the deadline the Angels have yet to make a trade. Yet they have multiple trade pieces that could help them if the right trade arose.

The LA Angels have significant trade pieces, and with them stands Yunel Escobar. The Angels traded for Escobar during the last off-season, sending reliever Trevor Gott to the Nationals. So far the trade has looked like a good one.

Escobar has been one of the few consistent offensive contributors this year. This year Escobar has posted a .318 average, a OBP of .366, OPS of .773, 3 home runs and 32 RBI’s. All of that combines for a total offensive WAR of 2.1.

There are some negatives behind Escobar as well. His defense isn’t good, some would even argue that it’s just downright bad. This year he has a fielding percentage of .935, a total of 14 errors and a defensive war of -0.6.

There are times where he just seems slow and nonchalant when playing defense. It doesn’t mean he isn’t necessarily trying but it can still be frustrating to watch.

Out of the few teams interested in Escobar are the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.

Heard the Mets and Giants have expressed interest in Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar. He's likely to be dealt before the Aug. 1 deadline.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) June 26, 2016

The only problem with this is that this tweet was done over a month ago, and the deadline is tomorrow. If the Angels have listened to trade offers there must have not been one worth pursuing yet.

Every rumor I can find about Escobar is around the same time and involves the same teams. Have the Angels been talking to the Giants for over a month? The rumors surrounding Escobar have died down as of late, but Pedro Moura of the LA Times sounds pretty certain when he says “He’s likely to be dealt before the Aug. 1 deadline”.

If the Angels were to trade with San Francisco chances are the Angels would be asking for pitching. While the Angels probably couldn’t get Madison Bumgarner or Johnny Cueto, they most definitely could land Jeff Samardzija, who has posted a 4.30 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP in 21 games.

Most importantly though, the Giants have an amazing bullpen. Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo, Geroge Kontos, Hunter Strickland and Derek Law all have a ERA under 3.30 which would be a nice addition to Cam Bedrosian in the bullpen.

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If The Angels traded with the Mets, again I think they would most likely go for pitching. Starter Steven Matz is the most attainable rotation guy the Angels could receive, and like the Giants, the Mets bullpen looks really solid as well. Erik Goeddel, Jerry Blevins, Addison Reed and Hansel Robles would all be welcomed to the Angels bullpen.

Escobar still has plenty of positives though. He has a team option for next year, so he could return or the front office could decline and have more money to spend on free agents. Escobar has also provided something that the Angels haven’t had in a long time; a consistent lead off hitter. One has to wonder if it would be worth it to trade Escobar this year.

The Angels need to decide what’s more important for them the rest of year, either position players or pitching. If the Angels deal away Escobar then a decent chunk of the Angels offense goes with him and, if they don’t get somebody in return to replace Escobar at third there’s a chance they will call up Kaleb Cowart.

Cowart has performed pretty well in AAA this year, but doesn’t have much major league experience. Which wouldn’t matter too much if the Angels just start preparing for next season anyway.

Next: Could Smith be traded?

As it stands now the Angels have yet to make a trade. Yet they have so many trade pieces that they could probably stir up something nice. With two days left till the deadline it is sure to be an exciting at best and most likely emotional time for Angels fans. We’ll just have to sit back and see how it all pans out.

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