LA Angels: 3 reasons to pursue a Jameson Taillon trade

The potential of Taillon before his injuries might offer some upside for the Angels.

I can understand if Angels fans have heard this narrative before, and the thought of bringing in a pitcher with a track record of injuries is something they would like avoid. However looking at Taillon’s numbers leading up to his injury, he has ace material.

As the second overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft out of high school, Taillon clearly had the pedigree to be a solid major league starter. The right-hander was dominant in the minors from 2011-2013 until he sustained an initial injury to his UCL requiring Tommy John surgery that kept him out of action in the 2014 season. He suffered a sports hernia in his recovery process which then forced him to miss the 2015 season.

Once 2016 arrived he was finally healthy and flashed the potential of a second overall pick. In ten Triple-A starts, Taillon pitched to a 4-2 record with a 2.04 ERA.

After making his anticipated big-league debut, Taillon finished the season with a 3.38 ERA to go along with a 7.4 K/9 in 18 starts. Taillon also posted a better bWAR than teammate Gerrit Cole (2.1 vs 1.7).

Taillon was out to prove that he was worth his draft stock, unfortunately, the biggest battle was still to come.

In 2017 after starting the year in the rotation, he was put on the IL in May as he battled testicular cancer. In true warrior fashion, he made his first rehab start three weeks later and finished the year with the Pirates posting a 4.44 ERA in 25 starts. While those numbers do not jump out, he really showed true strength and determination to get back on the field.

Taillon’s battle set him up for a solid 2018 season, where he finished with a 14-10 record 3.20 ERA to go along with a slightly higher FIP of 3.46. Additionally, his strikeout rate was the highest of his career at 8.4 K/9.

As he started building momentum, the 2019 season brought a setback. After seven starts, Taillon was forced to undergo surgery to repair a flexor tendon and have a revision on his repaired UCL. These kept him out additionally for all of 2020, meaning that he will be fresh once he steps back on the mound in 2021.

Similar to the career of James Paxton, the injury history is there but when Taillon has been on the field he has still been more than a serviceable starter. Holding a career 3.55 FIP along with 3.58 K/BB ratio shows the obvious fit in the Angels rotation. Some of his numbers are also inflated by his 2017 which saw him battle anything bigger than he would on the field (3.10 BB/9 in 2017).

Taillon has the stuff to be a top-tier pitcher in the league, as well as the second overall pedigree that would greatly benefit the Halo’s rotation.

The Angels have enough young prospects to make a trade for starting pitchers.

Trevor Bauer seems to be a guy that a lot of Angels fans have differing opinions on. While some see the reigning NL CY Young award winner, others see a pitcher with two great outlier years and a very heavy price tag. Due to the latter, we could see Minasian stay away from breaking the bank due to some of the Angels current contracts.

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There have been rumors all offseason about the Angels looking into making trades to improve their team. Most recently the team has reportedly shown interest in Willson Contreras. Players tied to trades have included much of their young talent including Jo Adell, Brandon Marsh, Reid Detmers, and Jeremiah Jackson, among others.

By moving some pieces in a trade simulator, I looked to see what a deal for Taillon could look like. Sending a package of Jordyn Adams and Jose Suraez sufficiently compensated the Pirates to send Taillon back to the Halos. Personally, I believe this would be a steal for the Angels but the reality is that the cost would be a bit higher. However, based on Taillon’s injury history, I do believe there could be a chance to bring him in while still holding onto both Marsh and Adell.

In addition, the Angels would be getting two years of contractual control and Taillon does not hit the market until after the 2022 season. We saw the Angels go this route as well with Dylan Bundy as he was also brought in with two years of control left the previous season.

The Pirates have been known coming out on the wrong end of trades in recent years.

This may not be as much of a statistically proven argument rather more of a coincidence, but I can definitely understand the Pirates being hesitant on trading any of their controllable starting pitchers. As the track record stands, many young starting pitchers that flash potential in Pittsburgh have a tendency to succeed once they leave Pennsylvania.

Many Angels fans know this well as their rival Houston Astros famously brought in a young promising starter in Gerrit Cole. Don’t really need to dive too far into that one. Another player that may come to mind is Tyler Glasnow of the Tampa Bay Rays. While Glasnow did not have the first overall pedigree that Cole had (5th round 1st pick), his 6’8″ frame and a 100-mph fastball give him the tools to succeed. It wasn’t until he was moved to the analytically driven Rays he had his biggest breakthrough in 2019.

Could Taillon and/or Joe Musgrove be the next players in line to see their best breakthrough happen away from the Steel City? The numbers have shown that both players are filled with talent, but, they will be limited playing for a Pirates team that will be drafting first overall this upcoming year. As a team looking to rebuild, the Pirates may trade away a starting pitcher. Though seeing the performance of players in the past could cause hesitation in trading without getting the value they want.

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Jameson Taillon is a young, controllable pitcher with a lot of talent and when healthy has been extremely effective. Based on the cost and track record, the Angels would be smart looking his way as they continue to build their rotation towards contention.