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Los Angeles Angels “Would You Rather?” Division Race Edition

By Sarah Maninger

ANAHEIM, CA - JUNE 01: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels catches a ball from Ian Kinsler #3 in reaction to his catch for an out of Ronald Guzman #67 of the Texas Rangers to end the sixth inning at Angel Stadium on June 1, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - JUNE 01: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels catches a ball from Ian Kinsler #3 in reaction to his catch for an out of Ronald Guzman #67 of the Texas Rangers to end the sixth inning at Angel Stadium on June 1, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Angels
(Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Angels /

Q: Would You Rather the Los Angeles Angels trade for a reliever or a starter to stay in contention with the Astros and the Mariners?

I couldn’t agree more with Esai. The Halos need bullpen help. There are definitely players out there that could provide said help, like the Pirates Felipe Vásquez. I think that the Angels starting staff has been great this year, and right now it’s not something that needs to be fixed.

Should Garrett Richards go down with an injury, or if management decides to cutdown Shohei Ohtani’s innings, then yes, the Angels should trade for a starter. That may not happen, however, and until then I think a strong reliever will put the Angels pitching staff into postseason conversation.

That conversation, however, is not in the realm of possibility now, not with guys like Edwin Diaz and Chris Devenski in the same division.

Where the Angels will find these trade pieces, however, is a different story. Really the only division that isn’t up for grabs is the AL Central. The Cleveland Indians, even in the midst of a fairly average season, are leading their division and show no signs of giving that up. They could look there, or they could look elsewhere.

The NL Central is probably their best bet. The aforementioned addition of Vásquez could potentially make the Angels pen solid again. Reds reliever Raisel Iglesias should be another name under consideration.

The Angels pitching staff has been shaky, but solid at times this season, as has their stacked offense, but it hasn’t been able to compete with the Mariners or the Astros. If the Angels want to win the division or even win a spot in the wild-card game, they need to make some moves, and those moves should begin with the bullpen.

Next: The Angels Are One Deadline Piece Away from World Series Contention

It could be the reason that they find themselves still in it come October.

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