LA Angels Trade Block: Making Big Trades with AL West Rivals

Oakland Athletics

This is probably the most boring of trades in this article, but it could be one that pays dividends throughout the 2020 season. As I touched on in a recent post, the Angels’ catching position in a poor state, and needs just as much attention on improvement as their starting rotation. While Josh Phegley is certainly no superstar, he is a huge upgrade over what they currently have.

As the A’s always need to, they’ve already began shedding salary this offseason and Phegley is another player they’d like to trade, per multiple reports. Last year, Phegley posted an 82 wRC+ for the Oakland A’s. While that number isn’t jaw-dropping by any stretch of the word, it’s a ginormous upgrade over the current offensive status of the Halo’s catching group.

Even better about Phegley, he’ll be cheap to acquire. The A’s have multiple catching prospects ready to contribute in 2020, so Phegley is an expendable contract and expires after 2020. Arol Vera (Angels 26th ranked prospect) and Orlando Martinez (#30) are the two prospects I have going to Oakland here, both of whom project to be reserves once they do make the major leagues, which won’t be for years.