Angels Rumors: What the reported trade for Aaron Judge could look like

It should be noted, while Olney reported the ‘soft’ Angels-Yankees rumor, there are no serious speculations about New York actively seeking a trade involving Judge.

I think part of the reason Olney dropped this gossip is due to the struggles of the Bronx Bombers at the moment. A 9-12 record and last place in the AL East is far below the World Series expectations they had going into the season. Given his team-friendly contract, maybe if the struggles continue through July the Yankees would consider moving some pieces around with Judge being one of them.

Trading for Aaron Judge involves one or more Angels top prospects and it still might not be enough.

Judge, who turns 29-years old on April 26, will make $10.175 million during this season and will enter his final year of arbitration in the upcoming offseason. Two full years of team control at a relatively cheap price would mean the Halos would likely have to part with one or more of their best young arms (No.2 Reid Detmers and No.4 Chris Rodriguez) in exchange for Judge. Due to the Angels needing pitching just as much as the Yankees do, it makes the decision more difficult and little to no sense. It would also likely mean the Halos parting ways with a young outfielder in their farm system.

Making this happen now means a huge impact in whatever future plan(s) the Angels currently have in place. It could happen, but would require making additional moves to fix whatever the team originally had planned for guys like Adell, Marsh, Detmers, Rodriguez, etc.

Minasian and Moreno have not shown the ability to think that far ahead. Their moves all seem to be one step at a time, little risk, and they wait for guaranteed results to happen before making decisions. That’s exactly how they’ve structured the 2021 roster, which is why nearly all of their additions do not have contracts beyond this season.

The one-year rentals provide the Angels with an opportunity to maybe contend if things go well, but none of the players have a track record which provides a feeling of guaranteed positive results. If the plan fails and the Halos fall out of contention by July, expect an early start to a retooling for 2022.

That’s why I don’t think expectations of a trade for Judge should be high. It would take one heck of a dice roll, which goes against Minisian and Moreno’s game plan thus far. Even if it happened, I’m not sure Judge is the type of offensive player who would help this current roster.

Maybe there’s a chance Judge’s price tag drops a bit for the Angels given his injury history over the last few seasons. He played just 28 games last summer, and 214 games from 2018-2019.

Since Judge’s 52 home runs and 114 RBI in 2017, his numbers have been a little underwhelming after he created the high standards for himself and looked poise to be the next face of baseball.

Aaron Judge Last Five Seasons:

• 2017 (155 games): 678 PA (.284/.422/.627)  52 HR 114 RBI
• 2018 (112 games): 498 PA (.278/.392/.528) 27 HR 67 RBI
• 2019 (102 games): 447 PA (.272/.381/.540) 27 HR 55 RBI
• 2020 (28 games): 114 PA (.257/.336/.554) 9 HR 22 RBI
• 2021 (18 games): 77 PA (.250/.377/.469) 4 HR 8 RBI

Judge is a natural-born slugger, there’s no doubt about that. That’s why, if it comes at the cost of losing Detmers or Rodriguez, I don’t think it’s worth the risk he fits on this current group of Angels who are already made up of power hitters.

The Halos currently have MLB’s third-most home runs (29), third-highest slugging percentage (.431), and fourth-highest OPS (.750). Where they struggle is the small-ball aspects of the game: getting runners on, moving them over, etc.

More from LA Angels News

• New York Post columnist has LA Angels bringing veteran starter back to LA
• Dodgers make wild mistake signing failed LA Angels starter
• Why LA Angels’ Qualifying Offer to Raisel Iglesias could become historical
• Both Gold Glove finalists for LA Angels getting snubbed is a complete joke
• Marcus Stroman definitely appears to be interested in the LA Angels

At his price tag and injury history, the Angels might be better off without Aaron Judge.

The Angels have MLB’s second-fewest walks (51) and the seventh-worst team batting average with runners in scoring position (.248). Those numbers should improve a bit once Anthony Rendon comes back from injury, but I think the Angels would benefit more with a different type of hitter as opposed to Judge (career 31.2 K%).

Someone like a Whit Merrifield (career 16 K%) on the Royals comes to mind as a player who could help the Angels more than another power hitter.

That’s not to say Judge wouldn’t improve this Angels team on paper. A middle of the order featuring Ohtani-Trout-Judge-Rendon would easily make for one of the most feared lineups in baseball. However, given what he’s likely going to cost, his injury history, and no guarantee of a contract extension after 2022, I think the Halos need to consider getting aggressive with other alternatives rather than a fantasy lineup with the addition of Judge.

Another pitcher or two wouldn’t hurt.

Want your voice heard? Join the Halo Hangout team!

Write for us!

This trade scenario all comes down to how the Yankees and Angels are each doing in July. The only way this comes to fruition is if Bronx Bombers are still struggling and the Halos are one right fielder away from becoming legitimate World Series contenders.

Even then if Minasian and Moreno were feeling risky, there’s no guarantees their current farm system is intriguing enough compared to other teams in the league to make a deal happen.