LA Angels Trade Block: Finding Aces in the NL East

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.