LA Angels’ trade for Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling makes team better

The LA Dodgers sent Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling, and Andy Pages to the LA Angels in exchange for Luis Rengifo and two minor league players.

While some LA Angels fans that may be skeptical about a trade as it doesn’t add a  bona fide ace to the rotation, it does give the Angels more pitching depth and an outfielder that can help groom up and coming rookie Jo Adell. This is a great deal for the Angels as the deal reportedly doesn’t involve any of the Angels top prospects and gives Ross Stripling a chance to really prove himself.

The Dodgers had a flexible rotation that allowed them to use Ross Stripling in different scenarios as he only made 15 starts in 32 appearances last season. With the Angels already having a somewhat shaky rotation, the door is open for Stripling to really compete for a starting spot and keep him there. He was an All-Star in 2018 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.189 WHIP, and pitched 122 innings. His biggest issue may be length as he only went 90.2 innings last season and is projected to only go 97 innings next season according to Baseball Reference.

Los Angeles Angels

The other major player in this trade the Angels are getting is Joc Pederson, who will be in a contract year in 2020 and is expected to be a temporary move until Adell and Brandon Marsh are ready. But he may also be primed to have a good season considering the stars around him in the potential lineup and because he hit a career best 36 home runs last season, he could only be unlocking his full potential.

He doesn’t hit for average, with a .249 batting average, but he does provide a left-handed  power bat that could put some good numbers if his power stays consistent and the rest of the lineup does its thing. He’ll look to get everyday at-bats which is something he needs as he’ll need to prove himself to other clubs if he’s looking to get paid next season.

Newly acquired outfielder Andy Pages isn’t the biggest piece in this trade, but does deserve some talk as his future is still uncertain. The first thing that jumps out is the potential for raw power. At  the Rookie League level last year, he hit 19 homeruns, 55 RBIs, .298 batting average, and .398 OBP.

This is a player who could certainly contribute to the Angels in the future, and he jumps into the top 10 in their farm system according to Kyle Glaser of Baseball America. (Pages was ranked 23rd with the Dodgers.) Anything can happen throughout the course of his career but being projected that high in the Angels’ farm system shows that the team could still use some rebuilding in system, as well as how loaded the Dodgers are.

Overall this deal is great for the Angels as the team gets ready for the start of the 2020  season.