3 reasons why the Eduardo Escobar trade was a good one for the Angels

May 16, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) is
May 16, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Eduardo Escobar (10) is | Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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The LA Angels didn't give anything up that's too outrageous

This trade saw the Angels send Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux to the Mets. On the surface this might seem like a lot, and realistically it is for a guy you don't want playing every single day, but it also looks worse because of the state of the Angels system.

Crow was ranked 19th on the Angels top prospect list according to MLB Pipeline while Marceaux was 20th in what's a below average Angels system. I think both of these pitchers can make it to the majors, but their ceilings are really just back-end starters.

Crow is a great story as a 28th round pick made by the Angels in 2019, and he looked really good in his first four starts of the season posting a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings. Crow has been hurt since his last start on April 26th.

Marceaux had a 4.88 ERA in 12 starts this season for the Trash Pandas. His 72 hits in 59 innings pitched were definitely concerning, as were his 6.9 K/9, but he did a nice job throwing strikes.

Both of these pitchers throw in the low 90's with their fastballs and rely on secondary stuff a lot. Crow gets more strikeouts, and is the pitcher I'm more upset about losing. i still don't think either develops into anything more than a fourth or fifth starter, but that remains to be seen.

The Angels have a bunch of pitching prospects who rank around where Crow and Marceaux did like Mason Erla, Jack Kochanowicz, Caden Dana, and Jake Madden. I really think they'll be fine even if the Escobar pickup doesn't work out.