Los Angeles Angels Matt Shoemaker unlikely to be traded

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker has been throwing the ball well as of late, but it’s unlikely the Halos will move him before the trade deadline.

The Los Angeles Angels enter Saturday with a 38-52 record, in the cellar of the AL West division, and, as a result, they will likely be sellers before the MLB trade deadline.

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A few names have circulated the rumor mill as potential trade pawns for the Halos, including Hector Santiago and Yunel Escobar, but Matt Shoemaker is among those that probably won’t be moved.

Shoemaker is in the middle of a roller-coaster-like season in which he had a 9.15 ERA with four losses in April, then had a dominant June which included a 2.14 ERA and a 45/5 strikeout/walk ratio.

The 29-year-old enters arbitration next season but is under club control for the next four years, and the Halos are thought to want to keep him with injuries plaguing the staff and expired contracts coming up at the end of the year.

Andrew Heaney, one of the top two members of the staff at the start of the season, had season-ending surgery that may keep him out until 2018. Garrett Richards the ace of the staff has been out since early May and he could end up in the same situation as Heaney if stem cell injections don’t work to heal a tear his UCL in his right elbow. C.J. Wilson, a veteran who was expected to contribute as a No. 3 starter, just had season-ending surgery in the last year of his contract, meaning he may not pitch for the Angels again.

On the non-injury list, Jhoulys Chacin, Tim Lincecum, and Jered Weaver‘s contracts all expire at the end of this season meaning, and with all three showing little promise this year, the Angels may have to part ways with more than one, if not all of them.

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On the more positive side of the mound, Nick Tropeano has shown that he has the stuff to maintain a spot as a starter next year as has Tyler Skaggs, who is finally on his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Those young pitchers would compliment Santiago who, if he’s not traded, has shown durability in the rotation and was an All-Star just last year.

Shoemaker has maintained relatively good health and while the value for him may be high right now, the Angels would be wise to keep him this year and use him as trade bait next season, if the team finds themselves out of contention again in July.

In the meantime, the Angels simply need too much help in the rotation to get rid of one of the only positive members of it.

The right-hander hasn’t been dominant since his rookie year, but he has shown flashes of greatness this season and has been unlucky with the Angels bullpen often blowing his quality starts.

If the Angels want to make a trade using their pitchers, they may be better off moving Joe Smith, whom a number of teams have been eyeballing as he is in the final year of his contract.

The return on Smith could be large as he has shown that he’s a quality setup man but can also be a successful closer.

Next: How do the Angels grade up in the First Half

The Angels will probably make at least one move before the trade deadline at the end of the month, but don’t expect Shoemaker to be one of the names playing in a different uniform in August.

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