LA Angels: 3 blockbuster trade ideas that would put LA in contention

Sonny Gray

Sonny Gray is somewhat of a Major League Baseball anomaly. He has been so high up and so far down in the dumps in his career, a career arc that most players observe only on the basis of age. At 31 years old, Gray had the privilege of working with the Driveline Baseball gurus of the Reds’ front office, revitalizing his career.

He was excellent last season as the co-ace to free agent Trevor Bauer, posting a 3.05 FIP across 56 innings of work. Gray was once a consensus ace for the Oakland A’s and then lost his luster. He was shipped to the New York Yankees where he was a dud in 2017 and 2018. After that, the Cincinnati Reds took a chance on him as a reclamation project and given their pitching development department, it’s no surprise he was made whole again.

As recently reported, the Reds are looking to deal Gray this off-season. The Angels should be first to act on him. Gray would immediately step into one of the top two slots in the rotation and provide somewhat of an anchor for the staff. Gray does have an injury history, but that hasn’t plagued him in recent seasons. The Reds want to deal him, so the Angels would have some leverage in negotiations to get a potential ace on a small contract figure. Gray won’t be a free agent until 2024.

A potential trade for Gray could look like this:

Angels receive: Sonny Gray

Reds receive: Jordyn Adams (#3 prospect), Arol Vera (#6 prospect), Jeremiah Jackson (#7 prospect)

Francisco Lindor

Before you go to the comment section to talk about how much we don’t need a shortstop and that the Angels need pitching instead, you need to realize something. The Angels do need a shortstop. Andrelton Simmons is likely gone and while his bat will not necessarily be dearly missed, his glove work will. Why not go after a rental Gold Glover who also happens to be one of the best offensive forces at the position?

Similar to the Sonny Gray situation, the Indians do not hold much leverage here. Lindor is a rental and the Indians will not be able to command as much in prospect capital as they were trying to do with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Angels likely will not have to trade Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh. They certainly won’t need to deal anyone with more value than them. It’s a trade that should not be hard to pull off.

I know I said Brandon Marsh should be off the table, but here is a possible trade scenario for Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor that gets the Angels some solutions:

Angels receive: Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco

Indians receive: Brandon Marsh (#1 prospect), Hector Yan (#8 prospect), Chris Rodriguez (#9 prospect), Matt Thaiss

While giving up Brandon Marsh hurts, they do get an upside starter in Carlos Carrasco and a solution to their shortstop vacancy that shouldn’t be filled by light-hitting Jose Iglesias. Killing two boards with one stone is always a good thing.

Max Scherzer

Let’s get weird. Max Scherzer might be 36 years old, but he is still amongst the best pitchers in the game. He gets paid a good chunk of money, but he is a free agent next season. The Washington Nationals don’t figure to be that great next season — they weren’t this past season — and likely will look to move some of their key pieces. Scherzer could be among the casualties.

Scherzer tossed 67 1/3 innings for the Nationals in 2020 with a 3.47 FIP. That’s a very solid number, especially considering his age. Before last season, he had not posted a season with above a 3.50 ERA since 2012 or an ERA above 3.00 since 2014. Pretty darn impressive.

One potential wrinkle in this is that Scherzer has a no-trade clause. It might be difficult to pry him away from Washington, but it’s also possible he would fancy the idea of playing with Mike Trout and helping a team get over the hump. Here’s a trade that could net the Angels an elite level starting pitcher for next season:

Angels receive: Max Scherzer

Nationals receive: Albert Pujols, Jordyn Adams (#3 prospect), Kyren Paris (#5 prospect)

Yes, this seems like a light package and that’s because it is. Max Scherzer is getting paid so much next season (roughly $34 million) that it makes it hard for any team to acquire him. The Nationals could likely use some salary relief as they look to start their rebuild, though.

You might be asking why they would want Albert Pujols and the short answer is that they don’t. However, if the money were even, Jordyn Adams and Kyren Paris are likely enough to procure Scherzer.