Examining Angels Trade Deadline Additions
By Ryan W Krol
mediadownloads.mlb.com
Going into this trade deadline, the Angels were on fire. But they still had a few holes that were blocking continuity in their lineup. Mike Trout and Albert Pujols are the game’s most powerful 3-4 duo, so Interim General Manager Bill Stoneman and his staff felt that depth and production were the direction they should go. The decision has been controversial. However, there is evidence to support their moves that it appears a lot of fans on Facebook are not looking at, or ignoring. But first, let’s recap the trades the Angels made leading up to the trade deadline.
Last Friday, the Angels acquired third baseman Conor Gillaspie from the White Sox in exchange for cash considerations. Gillaspie, 28, struggling with a .237/.276/.364 slash line in 185 plate appearances in 2015, which resulted in him being designated for assignment. The lefty hitting manning the hot corner will be a stop-gap option in place of the recently injured David Freese (broken index finger). Following this move, pitcher Adam Wilk was designated for assignment.
The next move was one intended to bring a winning veteran to the bench. On Monday, the Angels landed outfielder Shane Victorino from the Red Sox for minor league infielder Josh Rutledge and cash. Victorino, 34, a right-handed hitter after being a switch hitter until 2013, has a .238 batting average and a .324 on-base percentage in 2015. Daniel Robertson was sent down to AAA Salt Lake. This also likely means that Matt Joyce is out as an Angel.
The very next day, the Halos got outfielder David Murphy from the Cleveland Indians for shortstop prospect Eric Stamets and cash. Murphy, 33, has a .296/.344/.437 slash line with 5 home runs this season. Right-hander Vinnie Pestano was DFA’d to make room for Murphy, who will platoon in left field with newly acquired Victorino.
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Just minutes after announcing the Murphy deal, the Angels acquired outfielder David DeJesus from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league right-hander Eduar Lopez. DeJesus, 35, will also be a platoon option, probably at designated hitter and sometimes in the outfield. Against righties, he’s hitting .263/.331/.384, and has slashed .285/.362/.441 against righties for his career. The 28-year-old right-hander Jeremy McBryde was DFA’d to make room for DeJesus.
The Halos also made one smaller move in signing left-hander Wesley Wright to a minor league contract. Wright, 30, threw just 1 2/3 innings for the Orioles this year after spending three months on the disabled list for strain and inflammation in his left shoulder. He was designated for assignment immediately after his big league stint. This is mainly an emergency option, as the club is still looking out for a bullpen arm, among other possible moves.
For now, the Angels are going with depth and better production from multiple spots.
The Angels are still looking at making moves by the waiver deadline, which should be booming this season because of the amount of teams that are still in it. Stoneman and his assistants had lots of discussions with teams right up to the deadline. Stoneman was even quoted as saying, “You don’t do something crazy just to make a headline. That’s not what it’s about.” One of those players…
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According to sources, the Angels were one of the last teams reported to be in on the Yoenis Cespedes sweepstakes, who in the end was traded to the New York Mets for two prospects. It is not certain how far talks went between the Halos and Tigers, or which players were involved in said discussions. But apparently there was a significant offer, and the Tigers went with the Mets. We will have additional updates if more information about trade talks surface.
So what exactly do the main additions bring? That’s referring to Murphy, DeJesus, and Victorino. Well, here’s the first thing, which I think is the biggest move of the deadline: cutting Matt Joyce.
Regardless of his recent concussion, Joyce was most likely headed to DFA limbo. His .178/.274/.298 slash line has brought the offense down a lot as a whole. And you know what happens to the team’s overall batting average if you remove him entirely?
.258! Yep, that’s the Angels’ team batting average if you completely remove Joyce from the Angels roster. That would be a jump from the Angels’ current team average of .249, which has them at eleventh in the American League. Where would they rank with a .258 batting average? Fourth.
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Then there’s the three the Angels acquired at the deadline. If you add them to the roster, and eliminate Matt Joyce, the team batting average becomes… .257! Just one point lower than just taking Joyce out of the equation.
So these additions do add a lot of production to the team. Instead of just banking on one big bat, the Angels made sure they boosted production in multiple spots, while dropping dead weight. I know fans out there were hoping for a Jay Bruce, or a Yoenis Cespedes. But at the same time, the Halos would not have had the bench depth they still would’ve needed down the stretch. These moves ensure the latter. Because the Halos need on base. They don’t need anymore power. They already have the most powerful 3-4 duo in the game, and are fifth in home runs. They need batting average, on base percentage, running, situational hitting, etc. All three additions provide those things. Depth is the most important aspect of building a winning ball club.
Plus, the Angels kept their minor league staff intact, so that they can continue rebuilding it. Because had they acquired a big bat, one could say that they would’ve been defeating the purpose of all of that hard work.
I think these were smart moves. Now let’s see how it plays out through the rest of the season.
Next: ICYMI: Angels' Mike Trout Heading For Back-To-Back MVPs