The LA Angels Would Be Crazy to Trade Blake Parker

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Over the past two seasons, the LA Angels have seen a constant shuffle of relief pitchers in and out of their bullpen. Injuries and inconsistency have been major downsides for the bullpen. However, throughout all of this, they had Blake Parker.

The same Blake Parker who was on so many different teams, he began living in a RV. The very same Blake Parker who has been the most consistent reliever the Angels have had since Billy Eppler took a risk on him by claiming him (twice) in 2016.

And now, reports have surfaced that the Angels are open to trading the 33-year old reliever, per Ken Rosenthal. My only question when it comes to this, is why?

Why trade the best reliever on your team? Why get rid of a solid player when you’re supposed to be contending within the next two seasons?

Now, this does not seem like a strong possibility. While the report says the Angels are open to talking about a deal, they certainly are not out there looking for a deal. The main reason the Angels should not trade Parker is because his value to the Angels will not be equal to the value received in a potential trade.

Like I’ve stated, Parker is the best pitcher in Anaheim. Since joining the Angels, he has a 2.90 ERA in 133.2 innings pitched.  Considering Parker had a 3.87 ERA in 91 career games before debuting with the Angels, his new numbers have been a very welcome addition to the bullpen.

Even more importantly, he has never missed major time due to injury, which is not something many Halo pitchers can claim. Trading Parker really should not even be a consideration for the Angels at this point. He is a veteran who is still capable of being a strong contributor on the mound.

Another key point with Parker is that he is still under club control for three more years. He will not hit free agency until 2021, so trading him away with three years of control for a utility player or average prospect, which is what the Halos would likely receive, would not be worth it.

Parker is a stud out of the bullpen. He has been stellar no matter what he is asked to do, whether it is closing a game, throwing multiple innings, or getting out of a tough jam. Trading him would make the bullpen even more of a roulette wheel, which the Angels cannot afford.