Los Angeles Angels: The potential trade market of top starting pitchers
By Jason Reed
2. Robbie Ray, Arizona Diamondbacks
Robbie Ray is the quintessential Los Angeles Angels acquisition. How often do we see the Angels bring guys in who had standout years 2-3 years ago with the hope that they will once again reach that potential? We see it all the time, and oftentimes, the Angels are too late and miss that prime window.
Ray fits that billing perfectly as he was once an all-star in the National League but has not been great the last two seasons. He finished with a 2.89 ERA in 2017 and even finished seventh in Cy Young voting. In the last two years, Ray has a combined ERA of 4.17.
However, there is still reason to believe that Ray could re-gain all-star form with his stuff he is can stay healthy and pitch every five days. His K/9 the last three seasons (12.1) for a starting pitcher is remarkable, showcasing that he has swing-and-miss stuff.
Ray’s biggest Achilles’ Heel is free baserunners. After staying under four his entire career prior, Ray’s BB/9 over the last two seasons has ballooned to 4.7, which is an issue and has led to the jump in ERA.
With all that being said, it is not hard for the Angels to find things to like about Ray and I absolutely could see the front office falling in love with his ceiling, especially if he comes out and pitches better in 2020.
As for the Arizona Diamondbacks, while they will likely be in the race for the second wild card, the team knows that it will get more future value out of trading half a season of Ray than holding onto him and maybe finishing with 87 wins.
It is the perfect pitcher that the Angels can add to sell as a top pitcher, because of his upside, without having to trade too much in return.