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

By Zachary Rotman |
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 Los Angeles Angels made a surprising trade in the middle of their frustrating loss against the Rockies, acquiring Eduardo Escobar in a deal with the New York Mets. Escobar will hopefully be active for Saturday night's game in Colorado.

In this deal, the Angels sent two pitching prospects to New York in Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux. The Angels have sent a message. They're trying to win right now.

You can put away your Shohei Ohtani trade proposals. While Eduardo Escobar won't push the Angels to World Series favorites, he was still a worthwhile addition. Here're three reasons why.

1) LA Angels infielder Eduardo Escobar should be able to play the Gio Urshela role perfectly

The Angels were dealt a big blow when Gio Urshela was ruled out for likely the remainder of the season with a fractured pelvis. Urshela had played a key role for the Angels as a versatile infielder and as the primary Anthony Rendon replacement.

Since Rendon went down, the Angels have had to start players like Luis Rengifo and Kevin Padlo, players who simply should not be on a MLB team right now. Adding Escobar who can fill in for Rendon when he's hurt and can play all over the infield, and even both corner outfield spots when Rendon is actually on the field.

Like Urshela, Escobar is a primary third baseman but he has played in nine games at second base this season and another one at shortstop. While he hasn't played first base in 2023, he does have 18 games played at that position in his career, and he has 43 games played in left field.

Escobar's WRC+ of 92 is not far off from Urshela's 94, although they're different types of hitters. Urshela provides more contact while Escobar hits for more power.

The hitters are different, but the roles are the same. Escobar should fit it perfectly.

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.

The LA Angels needed an MLB-caliber infielder, and Eduardo Escobar gives them that

Eduardo Escobar is not anything special. He's slashed .236/.286/.409 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 40 games this season for the Mets. His OPS+ of 91 is slightly below average after his 106 OPS+ last season was slightly above.

Escobar is a switch-hitter but is far better right handed, as his OPS is over 350 points higher as a right-handed batter this season. His career splits aren't that dramatic, but he's always been better against southpaws.

Instead of relying on a guy like Luis Rengifo who has an OPS+ of 64 this season, the Angels can play Escobar who's about league average offensively to plug the third base hole until Rendon returns from the IL.

While Escobar isn't going to hit the 35 home runs he hit in 2019 or the 28 he hit in 2021, it's pretty clear that he's a guy who can hit home runs. When he gets hot, he's really hot. Last September he practically carried a struggling Mets offense by slashing .321/.385/.982 with eight home runs and 25 RBI.

He lost his starting job to top prospect Brett Baty early on this season, but since May 1 Escobar is slashing .321/.379/.491 with two home runs and eight RBI in 53 at-bats. He hasn't played much, but he's been effective in a limited role.

Escobar is a guy who has always been beloved by his teammates and has always been at least an average MLB hitter. The Angels don't expect him to be an all-star, he just has to be decent. He's better than what they had, and they really didn't have to give up all that much.

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