LA Angels: Three Trades to Make Before Opening Day

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 02: Tony Watson #56 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies in the top of the eighth inning at AT&T Park on June 2, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

The LA Angels are done on the free agent market (probably), and with Opening Day drawing closer and closer, here are three potential trades for the Halos to make as they perfect their roster for 2019.

There has been a lot of moves by general manager Billy Eppler with the bullpen this offseason. The unit is looking very promising, but could still be missing a couple of pieces to become elite.

Earlier this offseason there were rumors that the club had been in “constant contact” with the San Francisco Giants about left-handed relievers Tony Watson and Will Smith. As the Giants inevitably head towards a rebuild the 33-year-old and 29-year-old duo, respectively, are easy choices for a potential deal to a contending club.

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What the team would be willing to send in return is another question, but it is worth noting the Giants have an underwhelming amount of infield prospects within their Top 30, something the Angels have a plethora of. While the price wouldn’t be necessarily high (Watson is a free agent following this season while Smith will hit the open market the following year) would Billy Eppler be willing to part with any of his mid-tier infield prospects for what would be essentially rentals?

Outside of Williams Jerez, who is extremely unproven, the Angels do not currently have any left-handed relievers apart of their bullpen. It could end up being the missing piece, and this is a trade Eppler would have to be tempted to pull the trigger on.

BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 30: Andrew Cashner #54 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

The Angels have learned in recent years that you can never have too much starting pitching, or pitching in general for that matter. While they have done a good job of acquiring depth at the position and seem well set up for 2019, once again, you can NEVER have too much starting pitching.

And for that reason, the team should be in contact with the Baltimore Orioles about starter Andrew Cashner. The 32-year old is on a team-friendly deal and could be a solid bounce back candidate if he finds the right team.

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Last season was not encouraging for Cashner. In 28 starts, he posted a 5.29 ERA for the worst team in baseball. And while a large part of that is because of an awful ending (7.97 ERA over his last eight starts), it was still an underwhelming season.

However, if Cashner comes to a new environment such as Anaheim, there could be a lot of reason for optimism, for two reasons. The first is that Cashner is a very ground ball dependent pitcher. There isn’t anything wrong with that, but in Baltimore he had one of the worst defenses in baseball behind him. If he is shipped to the Angels, where the defense is arguably the best in the MLB, one could only expect his numbers to increase to an extent.

The second reason Cashner could bounce back if he was traded to Anaheim, is that the Angels made serious improvement in their analytical department this offseason. It was a focus for Eppler and Co., and may be a reason for breakout seasons from the likes of Tyler Skaggs, who said he has “learned more in the past month than I have in the past four or five years”.

The Orioles were lackluster in 2018 with their analytics department, and a change of scenery could be just what Cashner needs. And for the Orioles, they should (and most likely would) take any prospect the Angela offered as they begin a full-on rebuild.

CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 14: Ian Happ #8 of the Chicago Cubs hits a three-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning on September 14, 2018 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

There seems to be no room for more position players on the LA Angels lineup card, but Ian Happ is a player worth making room for. The Chicago Cubs former #1 prospect had a down 2018, where he saw his batting average and slugging drop but had an increased on base percentage.

However, there are a handful of reasons trading for Happ makes sense. First is his age, at just 24-years old there is plenty of time for the University of Cincinnati alumni to turn things around. He also has a considerable amount of team control left, and doesn’t hit free agency until after the 2024 season. Lastly, there is the versatility Happ brings to any team.

As the MLB shifts towards an era where versatility becomes more and more vital, a player of Happ’s caliber will become more and more desired. He has the ability to play every position on the field, and to do so at a solid level for most positions.

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The Angels have guys such as Zack Cozart and David Fletcher who can play the infield, but no one on their current roster has the versatility Happ does, even with reports that Fletcher will be working in the outfield this Spring Training.

The cost for Happ wouldn’t be cheap, considering everything. However, with the Chicago Cubs in win-now mode, it also wouldn’t require a great prospect, but a combination of MLB assets and prospects.

It may be a way for the Angels to escape Kole Calhoun’s $10.5 million dollar contract, along with giving up a pitching prospect such as Jose Suarez and another mid-tier position prospect. Happ could immediately take over in right field until Jo Adell’s arrival in Anaheim, and then revert back to his role as a power hitting super utility player.

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