Los Angeles Angels send Kyle Kubitza to Rangers for cash

The Los Angeles Angels traded Kyle Kubitza to one of their AL West rivals for no more than cash considerations in a move made on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Angels once thought Kyle Kubitza was the third baseman of their future, but he was dealt to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.

Kubitza, once a highly-touted prospect, just couldn’t figure things out at the plate for the Halos.

He didn’t make a plate appearance for the Los Angeles Angels this season, but hit .194 in 19 games for the team last year with 15 strikeouts.

The 25-year-old was hitting .253 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 54 games with Triple-A Salt Lake this season, but he had also struck out 60 times.

The Los Angeles Angels did their best to keep Kubitza in their Triple-A lineup, moving him to second base and then the outfield once Kaleb Cowart broke through and took over the hot corner midway through last year.

But Kubitza’s future with the team looked even more bleak once the Halos traded for Jefry Marte this off-season. Since getting the call to the majors, Marte has 17 hits in 20 games, including four home runs and 10 RBIs.

Unfortunately for Kubitza, he’s realistically getting traded from one Triple-A team to another, as he is expected to report to Triple-A Round Rock immediately.

The Rangers don’t need much help at the hot corner right now with veteran Adrian Beltre hitting .275 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI in his age-37 season. He’s signed through the 2018 season.

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It’s somewhat ironic that Kubitza was traded since the Los Angeles Angels’ farm system is notoriously thin, but third base is such a top-heavy position in the team’s minor leagues that Kubitza was deemed expendable.

The Los Angeles Angels current third baseman is Yunel Escobar and he’s exceeded expectations since joining the club, in a trade, at the start of the season. Escobar leads the team with 81 hits, five more than Mike Trout, and his .310 batting average leads those on the Halos with at least 100 plate appearances

Escobar also leads the team with 17 doubles. He’s certainly been a bright spot on a team that has struggled through this season. As of Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles Angels were 31-39, 14.5 games behind the red-hot Rangers, who are 46-25 and have won nine of their last 10.

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The light at the end of the tunnel for Kubitza (if he’s a glass-half full person), is that Texas can probably utilize him better in their farm system and he may even sneak in some playing time for a team that right now looks like the favorites in the division.