This Angels reliever is proving himself on the mound and increasing his trade value

The Angels' bullpen has been one of the worst units in all of baseball this season. They have given up leads, been inconsistent, and have had a constant churn of disappointing names. These names range from top prospects like Caden Dana - who has consistently been yanked from his development to do so - to veterans like Michael Derrell-Hicks. All in all, the search for reliable relievers has been harder than expected this season.

Nevertheless, Hunter Strickland has been one of the few rock solid options for Ron Washington as he coaches this up-and-down clubhouse. The Angels scooped him up after he was released by the Texas Ranges a month ago, and he has made seven appearances for the Halos since then. And while Strickland has mostly been used in a low-leverage roles for the Angels, there is no doubt that he has been impressive.

In those seven games, Strickland has yet to allow a single run. He has only allowed two hits across 7.2 innings while also allowing 4 total walks. His strikeout numbers have not been there - only two so far as a Halo - but his career strikeout numbers signal a boost in that category could be coming.

And even if Strickland continues getting his outs via soft contact and trusting his defense (which is gutsy given the Angels' consistently poor defense), his approach has worked so far in Anaheim.

Strickland is using a slider-fastball combo (while mixing in a sinker and change-up) for the Angels. His ability to keep hitters guessing has induced a groundball or flyball on 95.6% of his batted balls. That is obviously a ridiculous rate (which will surely regress to the mean over time), and it has turned Strickland into one of the Angels' go-to arms in the middle innings.

And while he has been a great addition to the Angels ballclub, it is natural for Halo fans to immediately begin pondering if the front office can ship him to a contender in a month or so. Given that the haul for Luis Garcia is looking better each and every day, the idea of pulling in a prospect or two for someone who joined the big league club less than a month ago is enticing.

With the constant state of flux the Angels' bullpen is in, Strickland could see his role change at any moment. If he can prove himself in some higher leverage outings and strike out a few more batters, Strickland could turn himself into one of the better relief options for the Halos as well as a trade target for contending teams.

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