3 LA Angels Most Likely To Be Dealt This Winter

As the LA Angels deal with controversy within their organization, Billy Eppler still must keep his eyes towards the offseason.

For the LA Angels, this offseason was one of the most momentous in not only Eppler’s career, but one of the biggest winters for the Angels organization this millennium. While free agency will be a big part of that, trades will too. And to trade for players, you must trade away players. These three Angels seem most likely (and make a lot of sense) to be dealt this winter.

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Kole Calhoun

While the Angels could very easily just turn down Calhoun’s $14 million option for next season, it might make just as much sense to have Calhoun opt-in and trade him somewhere where he’d get regular playing time. The Angels have a plethora of outfielders in Mike Trout, Justin Upton, Brian Goodwin, and top prospect Jo Adell.

So, while Calhoun may not be worth $14 million even with his comeback 2019 season, a team such as Cleveland could be interested. They have a team talented enough to contend for the playoffs, but a lack of outfield depth hurt them increasingly down the line in 2019. Calhoun won’t net the Angels a top prospect, but could bring them a mid-tier amateur or some bullpen help.

So while Angels fans may prefer to trade Justin Upton (which makes some sense), Calhoun is the likelier candidate to be traded considering he is coming off a strong 2019, while Upton’s injury-riddled season likely scared off potential trade partners.

Zack Cozart

I know Zack Cozart is unlikely to be an Angel you were expecting to see here. With all of the infield talent the Angels have, Cozart has become a forgotten man as he rehabs another shoulder injury that is threatening his career.

However, the Angels still have him under contract for one final season. If Cozart is to come back healthy in Spring Training, he is as obvious of a trade candidate as they come. The former All Star is owed $12.66 million this upcoming season. However, with David Fletcher, Tommy La Stella, Andrelton Simmons, and Luis Rengifo all in tow for 2020, there’s no need for Cozart in Anaheim.

And if he comes back healthy and has a good Spring Training, the Angels should look to trade him. This isn’t really about what they’d get in return (which wouldn’t be much more than a PTBNL), but more about shedding salary and giving Cozart a new environment to start over in.

The Angels have more than enough infield talent. That was proven this year, and Zack Cozart had to sit by and watch as he lost his spot. However, he’s worked hard in rehab and deserves another shot. When Cozart is healthy again, the Angels should ship him somewhere, anywhere, that will give him playing time to try and redeem what was a practically nonexistent two seasons in Anaheim.