Angels Trade Deadline: Grading each of the Halos deals

Angels Trade Tommy La Stella to the Athletics for Franklin Barreto

The Angels got their 2020 trade season rolling with a surprise deal that sent infielder Tommy La Stella to the divisional-rival Oakland Athletics. It wasn’t that rumors about La Stella weren’t flowing freely, it was that up until the trade, Oakland hadn’t even been mentioned in a possible move for Tommy Boy.

We should have seen it coming.

From a team standpoint, the A’s have been starving to solve their issues at second base. At the keystone, the A’s rank 17th in fWAR (0.2), 19th in wRC+ (72), 21st in wOBA (.271), and 26th in ISO (.077). Meanwhile, La Stella is slashing .265/.361/.461 with a wRC+ of 127, a wOBA of .355, and a .196 ISO.

As far as the Angels return goes, Franklin Barreto feels a little underwhelming, especially considering the need for arms. Moving a desirable piece for another middle infielder that needed a change of scenery seems like a bit of a backwards move.

A former top prospect, Barreto came to Oakland in the 2014 trade that sent Josh Donaldson to Toronto. Still just 24-years-old, Barreto is a career .289/.352/.482 hitter and has shown flashes of power (86 home runs in 2458 at-bats) in the minor leagues. However, he’s seen limited playing time in the majors and received only 219 plate appearances, resulting in a .180/.210/.360 slash with nine home runs and 27 RBI.

Still under 25-years-old and with four seasons of team control, Barreto could still become a solid player under the right tutelage and may serve as some protection should Andrelton Simmons not return in 2021. However, this seems like a missed opportunity for the Angels.

Trade Grade: C-