The Top 10 Best Trades in Los Angeles Angels history

#3 -11/19/04 =  Angels trade OF Jose Guillen to Washington for SS Maicer Izturis and OF Juan Rivera.

Jose Guillen was coming off a career year in 2004 with the Angels hitting .294 with 27 homers and 104 RBI’s.  However the outfielder had numerous outburst throughout the season.  With a week left in the season and the Angels trying to catch the Oakland A’s he came storming off the field after being pinch-run for in the 9th inning of a tie game.  The runner ended up coming around to score the winning run, but what Guillen did which was slam his helmet to the dugout floor and verbally challenge Angels Manager Mike Scioscia.  After the game Guillen was suspended for the remainder of the season and the playoff series.  The Angels could have used Guillen in the playoffs, but Scioscia was sending a message that disrespecting the manager and oneself before the team would not be tolerated..

So Bill Stoneman was put in charge of the task of getting the most he could for Guillen and he was successful. The Angels traded Guillen to Washington for Outfielder Juan Rivera and SS Maicer Izturis.  Both players played for the Angels for six plus seasons.

So let’s look at the numbers Guillen put up in three of his last seven seasons. Guillen had three years of 20 plus HR’s and 90 plus RBI’s. But his production was not the issue in question, hos attitude was.  This was a case where it was addition by subtraction.

On the flip side Izturis played all over the infield in eight seasons with the Angels batting .276 with 33 homers and 297 RBI’s.  Rivera played for the Angels for six seasons. Rivera had 92 homers with 337 RBI’s and batted .277 but two of those seasons Rivera only played 14 and 89 games due to injury so those numbers look even better.

In conclusion this trade got rid of a bad egg in Guillen and got two solid players who would have nice careers with the Angels.

Next: Mr. 3,000