Angels trade acquisitions will push the team into October

The Los Angeles Angels added some key pieces to aid in their surprising playoff push. Now, dancing in October seems inevitable in Anaheim.

The Angels, outside of the selling spree from Detroit, were the busiest team of the true MLB Trade Deadline. With August 31 being the last day to trade any MLB player through waivers for the postseason roster, the Angels added two key pieces to their roster. Those pieces, Justin Upton and Brandon Phillips, directly help the Halos in their pursuit for October.

The Angels have put themselves into contention for the AL Wild Card without many people even noticing. As it stands today, the team is 1.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins for the second Wild Card spot. At 69-66, the Angels are on pace to win 83 games, their most since 2015.

With all the right pieces coming back at all the right times, the Angels look to be dangerous if they reach the postseason. Anything can happen in one, five or seven games, and now, the Angels seemingly punched their ticket to the playoffs.

First, the Angels acquired Justin Upton from the Tigers for minor league arm Grayson Allen and a player to be named later. Quite frankly, despite being as big of a baseball fan as one can humanly be, I did not know that Upton was still this good.

Thus far, Upton has slugged 28 home runs and driven in 94 RBIs in 126 games played. With a .280 batting average, Upton is putting up his best numbers since 2012. In his first game with Anaheim, the slugger went two for five with a double and a walk.

This right-handed power bat will be huge alongside Mike Trout. While Albert Pujols can still connect with the baseball, he is nowhere close to the menace he was earlier in his career. Now, the Angels have the high-profile power hitting bat, directly benefited not only Upton but Trout as well.

Then, in lesser news, the Angels made another trade. The Angels acquired Brandon Phillips and cash from the Braves for catcher Tony Sanchez. Again, Phillips is another guy that a lot of people may not realize is still playing fantastic.

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The veteran second baseman is hitting .291 on the season with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs. If averages persist, Phillips will slug two more home runs, giving him his highest since 2013 and have 165 hits.

Phillips is ranked as the 14th best second baseman, according to FanGraphs WAR. Not just that, FanGraphs rates Phillips as the sixth best defensive qualified second baseman, according to their Def statistic. Alongside Andrelton Simmons, this gives the Angels the best defensive middle infield in baseball.

This is huge for a team that is already so good at defense. With a young pitching staff that may not be used to the postseason limelight, having a solid defense is critical. Lucky for the Angels, they have just that.

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While on the surface the acquisitions the Angels made may seem as washed up talents, the duo of Upton and Phillips bring a lot more to the table. Now, the Angels look primed to shock the world in the postseason.

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