LA Angels Matt Shoemaker: Trade Candidate?

With the LA Angels in last place and the MLB trade deadline only days away. The Angels may make a move concerning Matt Shoemaker to help bolster their weak farm system.

As of right now, the LA Angels are currently sporting a 46-57 record. They are 13.5 games back of the Texas Rangers and have a winning percentage of .447 which obviously means that the season has not gone well for them thus far.

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Keeping those statistics in mind, it seems very unlikely that the Angels will have a shot at making the playoffs this year. With that being the case, why not test the waters and see what they can catch using Shoe as the bait.

Now, Matt Shoemaker didn’t have such a great start to the season. When Shoemaker was sent down to the minors in early May, he had a record of 1-5 and an ERA of 9.12 which lead to his demotion.

However, since then, Shoemaker has the pitching ace of the season for the Halos. In his last 15 games, Matt Shoemaker has an ERA of 3.12 and a WHIP of 1.12 which has made him the most reliable starting pitcher for the Angels this season. He even put together a streak of 49 strikeouts without giving up a walk. This has allowed the trade rumor train to pick up some steam.

Who would be interested in Shoemaker and at what would the Angels get in return?

It’s going to take a lot to convince Angels’ owner Arte Moreno and GM Billy Eppler to actually deal away Matt Shoemaker. Currently, Shoe is only making around $500,000 a year and he is under club control for another four years. At age 29, he is currently pitching in his prime years for a cheap amount which is why it would be hard for the Angels to actually trade Matt Shoemaker away.

But, that doesn’t mean a playoff bound team wouldn’t make a move to help bolster their pitching lineup heading into the postseason.

Concerning teams that are in the playoff hunt who could use some starting pitching depth, one team that I believe could make a move during the deadline would be the Detroit Tigers. For the Tigers, they have a great 1-2 punch with Verlander and Zimmerman. But, their back end of the rotation could use some upgrading because Mike Pelfrey hasn’t been meeting expectations while Daniel Norris still remains a question mark for the club. In order for the Tigers to make some noise in the playoffs, they’ll have to make a move to address the back end of their pitching staff.

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Another team that I believe who could make a move during the trade deadline would be the Miami Marlins. So far this season, the Marlins have a record of 55-48 which a lot of people didn’t see coming. In order for them to keep up that pace and win a wildcard spot (or potentially the division) they’ll need to add another quality starter along with the newly added Andrew Cashner. According to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, the Miami Marlins are still “desperate” to bolster their rotation. If the Marlins do indeed make a move, expect some of their best pieces to be traded including Josh Naylor and Luis Castillo.

The verdict:

With the injuries to Garret Richards, Andrew Heaney, and Nick Tropeano as well as the pending free agency of C.J Wilson and Jered Weaver, the Angels pitching staff suddenly looks very thin. Also, the Halos do not have a farm prospect to rely on currently either as Nate Smith, the Angels best pitching prospect, has a 7.83 ERA in his last 4 starts at AAA.

Next: Where will Mr. Smith go?

Recognizing the Angels potential problems they may face in the future regarding the starting pitcher position, I do not expect Matt Shoemaker to be traded during the deadline. His contract is way too valuable to let go of him and he pitching depth is weak. If they do trade him they better get some capable major league ready arms in return.

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