Los Angeles Angels: Latest On Trade Talks
By Ryan W Krol
Adam Lind
Jul 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Adam Lind (24) runs the bases after hitting a two run home run in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Now this is an impact bat the Angels could use in the middle of their order. Lind has made significant strides in honing his craft at the plate, to the point where he is hovering around a .300 batting average.
His plate discipline, and patience has risen. He’s on pace to hit about 35 doubles and around 30 homeruns. And he could easily squeeze in at DH, and even play first base whenever Albert needs to cool off.
With a very affordable $8 million dollar salary — which would be pro-rated to at least half of that — Lind is about as team friendly a power bat as you’re going to find on the open market right now.
The Angels have just enough wiggle room before the luxury tax threshold, if that’s even a concern anymore. They could shed salary by dealing someone from their 25-man roster.
And that could possibly include a starting pitcher.
But would the Brewers really take on a C.J. Wilson-type contract when they’re clearly selling? Well, starting pitching is an obvious need in Milwaukee.
Matt Garza and Kyle Lohse have both had terrible seasons, and Garza is on the DL. So in theory, you could call C.J. a center piece for the Brew Crew to rebuild their pitching staff around in 2016.
Of course, he makes more than twice what Lind makes, so that could be one reason why the Angels were discussing an additional player.
Next: Gerardo Parra