LA Angels Should Trade For Andre Ethier
By Pablo Jacobo
The Los Angeles Angels were swept yesterday in New York and extended their losing streak to five games. The offense struggled once again despite back-to-back homers by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. How quickly has last season’s high-powered offense fallen off? The Angels sorely need another bat in their lineup.
The Halos offense is ranked near the bottom in the majors. One wouldn’t expect an offense that boasts reigning AL MVP Trout and Pujols to struggle to put runs on the board right?
As of Sunday, the Angels rank 26th in BA (.238), OBP (.299) and OPS (.680). They’re 21st in SLG (.382) and are tied for 9th in HRs (60). Those low offensive percentages is concerning for a team that has championship aspirations. They are a .500 ball club at the moment and currently sit in third place in the AL West.
Hope is not all lost as the Halos can certainly mount another furious run in the second half similar to last season. Anaheim ended the 2014 season with the best record in baseball until they were upset by the Kansas City Royals in the first round of the playoffs.
But enough with the painful memories and let see if we can find some help for these Angels. I highlighted how bad Anaheim’s offense is, but across the freeway at Dodger Stadium, it’s quite the opposite as the Dodgers are pretty much ranked first in every offensive category.
The Dodgers are stacked with outfielders and one in particular may be up for grabs. Andre Ethier is enjoying himself a nice bounce-back season after being relegated to bench the past seasons. Ethier’s line this year at the plate has been pretty solid .288/.371/.503/.875. He’s hit seven home runs and driven in 22 runs for the Dodgers.
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Ethier has seen plenty of time on the field mainly because of extensive injuries to Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford. Puig returned to the lineup over the weekend and Ethier has been moved to LF. The Dodgers have many options in the outfield with the aforementioned Crawford and Scott Van Slyke both on the DL at the moment, Enrique Hernandez, Alex Guerrero, Chris Heisey and former Angel Alberto Callaspo as an extreme option.
The Dodgers have lost Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy to season ending injuries and could use another veteran arm in their rotation. Enter C.J. Wilson (3-5), a veteran pitcher with playoff experience who would be a nice addition behind NL MVP Clayton Kershaw and former CY Young winner Zack Greinke.
The Angels are in dire need of a left fielder and another bat. Dre fits the bill. Collin Cowgill and Matt Joyce haven’t panned out and are better suited coming off the bench for the Halos. Dodgers need another starting caliber pitcher because although Carlos Frias and Mike Bolsinger have been good, the experience factor comes into play. Brett Anderson has pitched very well but he’s an injury-prone player too.
Wilson has two years and $28 million left on his 5 year $77.5M he signed in 2011. Ethier signed a 5-year $85M contract in 2012— he has $69.5M thru 2018 but has a vesting option in 2017 (he can be bought out for $2.5M), which essentially eliminates his 2018 salary. So minus his $17.5M due in 2018 and focus his contract thru 2017, that leaves $52M on his contract. That would leave a $14M difference in money for a potential Ethier-Wilson deal. Money should not be an issue for the Dodgers. Angels may thrown in a low-to-mid tier prospect to sweeten the deal.
Early in spring training the Dodgers were willing to pay half of Ethier’s salary to move him. It’s unclear if that still stands today given his good play. I highly doubt Ethier will remain part of the future with Joc Pederson and Puig in the outfield. Crawford is still owed a gazillion dollars (highly doubt he’s moved) and Van Slyke is a formidable back up in the OF. Guerrero can also play in LF when Justin Turner plays 3B.
Jun 7, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher C.J. Wilson (33) pitches in the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
As a fan, I think it makes sense for both parties as it fills a need. The Angels rotation boasts Jared Weaver, Garrett Richards, an improving Matt Shoemaker and Hector Santiago as their back of the rotation SP .The lack of power in their lineup is something they need to improve on immediately. Wilson could be expendable.
Both Southern California rivals conducted business in the offseason with two separate transactions. Howie Kendrick headed to Chavez Ravine for Andrew Heaney. In a separate deal Drew Butera ended up at the Big A. Could they do business again?
The trade deadline is in July and other options could arise for both clubs. It’s difficult to envision a big money trade mid-season but both are not shy about trading their stars. The Angels could use an everyday LF who can hit since they got rid of Josh Hamilton. Other outfielders could be available for Anaheim, but in my opinion both could benefit from this deal. We’ll see if the Angels’ brass pulls the trigger on a deal for another bat.