LA Angels Trade Block: Finding Aces in the NL East

After the huge signing of Anthony Rendon by the LA Angels, their next moves need to focus on pitching help. These trades with each National League East team help in that endeavor.

The LA Angels seem to be showing a willingness to deal their young players combined with an eagerness to win now, so these mock trades may seem more realistic than ever as Billy Eppler is usually hesitant to deal prospects away. That, needless to say, has changed now.

New York Mets

We’ve been over this one more than enough times. Without a doubt, the best pitcher that is even “maybe” on the market is Noah Syndergaard. He has elite stuff on the mound, and is the Angels’ best available trade target.

How available he really is is the question. The Mets have retooled their rotation this offseason by signing Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha to one-year deals. While this seemingly gives them a good amount of starters in case of injury, it also provides enough depth if they were to trade away one of their top arms, such as Syndergaard.

The package the Angels present to the Mets give them three young players who will be able to contribute at some point in 2020. Patrick Sandoval showed down the line in 2019 he has legit mid-rotation stuff, if not better. Luis Rengifo is a super-utility player in the making with extreme potential. Brandon Marsh is the best Angels prospect available for trade talks.

This deal would give the Angels one of the best top of the rotations in baseball assuming Shohei Ohtani returns to form and they sign one of the second-tier starters available in free agency. It increases the ceiling of this team exponentially for years to come.

Atlanta Braves

I hate to include Tommy La Stella twice in a trade as I try to keep these from repeating themselves, but this is another move that makes a lot of sense for the Braves and Angels. The Braves would be hesitant to part with any starting pitching, but giving them a prospect they once had might push them to make the deal.

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Last season, Mike Foltynewicz posted a 4.54 ERA on the season, failing to build on what was a breakout 2018 season. He was hampered by injuries for part of the year, and could be destined to find a happy medium between his 2018 and 2019 stat line.

And as we’ve gone over multiple times, the Angels need as much starting pitching help as they can.

Similar to the Phillies deal, La Stella would give the Braves an everyday infielder with plenty of pop and a solid glove.

The interesting part of this trade is returning Kevin Maitan to the Braves, who had him committed to sign with the team until they were caught in an international signing scandal. The Angels swooped in and signed Maitan. However, he has not been able to develop in their system. A return to Atlanta’s system may be exactly what the prospect needs, and maybe the Braves could be tempted with a young player they were so intrigued by just a few years ago.

Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins truly do not have a ton of assets to trade away. However, there is one player who caught my eye as a potential addition to the Angels’ roster: Josè Ureña.

The starting pitcher had an awful year last season, eventually being demoted to the bullpen after not showing enough as a starter. Considering he was on the Marlins, that demotion looks even worse.

However, in the two years prior to 2019, Ureña posted back-to-back sub-4.00 ERA seasons. So while 2019 was awful, it might have been an anomaly in the pitcher’s recent career.

This is a perfect buy-low opportunity for the Angels. Their package, obviously, doesn’t include any prospects that fans will miss too much due to Ureña’s down year.

Jack Kruger is the team’s best catching prospect, but mostly projects as a solid backup who could maybe be a starter if he develops as perfectly as possible. His offense and defense are both solid, and he’ll give the Marlins some help at the position in 2021 and beyond.

William Holmes is an interesting two-way prospect the Angels took in this year’s draft. He is more likely to be an outfielder once he fully develops, but he has legitimate potential as a right-handed pitcher as well. The Angels are allowing him to develop as a two-way player, and the Marlins would be smart to do the same.

Washington Nationals

After that snooze fest with the Marlins trade, let’s go big for the final one. Max Scherzer is arguably the best pitcher on the face of the planet, so let’s bring him to Anaheim.

Yes, Jo Adell goes to the Nationals in this trade for two years of Max Scherzer. However, this is a deal the Angels can (and arguably should) make if possible.

Scherzer hasn’t aged like most, instead being a metaphor for fine wine and only getting better and better. With two years left, the Angels would have a legitimate championship window with an elite offense paired with a true ace in their rotation alongside Shohei Ohtani.

The main reason I love this deal (other than Max Scherzer being on the freaking Angels), is the deferred money in Scherzer’s deal. He’s only being paid $15 million a year, which gives Arte Moreno and Billy Eppler more room to build their rotation in free agency. While his AAV of nearly $36 million counts against the luxury tax, Moreno would have more actual money to spend for the next two years with Scherzer in tow.

They could add a Madison Bumgarner, Hyun-Jin Ryu, or a Dallas Kuechel and have a truly elite front-end of their rotation with this trade and one of these signings. While losing Jo Adell would really suck to have happen, gaining one of the best three pitchers in the entire MLB raises the Angels’ ceiling considerably and makes them a legitimate contender, not just a playoff hopeful.