LA Sports Hub
Fansided

Los Angeles Angels: Three players to target from the Mariners

By Jason Reed

ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 29: Andrelton Simmons #2 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim waits for the throw as Dee Gordon #9 of the Seattle Mariners slides safely into second base on the steal in the first inning during the MLB game at Angel Stadium on July 29, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 29: Andrelton Simmons #2 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim waits for the throw as Dee Gordon #9 of the Seattle Mariners slides safely into second base on the steal in the first inning during the MLB game at Angel Stadium on July 29, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Angels
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Angels /

1. James Paxton

Of course, the number one name on this list has to be the biggest target the Los Angeles Angels could possibly acquire: James Paxton. Paxton could be on the market and would easily get the Mariners the biggest possible return as he showed spurts of being a legitimate ace last season.

More from LA Sports Hub

Over 28 starts, Paxton tossed 160.1 innings to the tune of a 3.76 ERA and 208 strikeouts. Although the ERA does not look pretty, the insanely high strikeout rate shows that Paxton is one of the nastiest pitchers in the game.

Paxton started and ended the season with relatively bad numbers but had some stretches in between that made him look like one of the best in baseball. In the month of May, Paxton made six starts, allowing just eight earned runs in 43 innings. He struck out 51.

You do have to keep in mind as well that Paxton was not fully healthy last season and that could be a contributing factor to his slightly down production.

However, him not being 100 percent may also lead to the Angels being wary as well. The Halos have fielded some pretty talented young starting rotations that never reach full potential because of injury. Because of that, one of the team’s biggest focuses is adding reliable starting pitching.

There are some areas of concern with Paxton as he has never made 30 starts in a single MLB season.

Next. The trade package to land Corey Kluber. dark

Although his 28 starts were more than any other season of his MLB career and he went from 20 starts in 2016 to 24 starts in 2017 to 28 starts in 2018. If those trends mean anything, it is that Paxton will make 32 starts next season.

Home/Los Angeles Angels