10:26pm: Both teams have announced the trade.
9:15pm: The Athletics have acquired infielder Tommy La Stella from the division-rival Angels, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Fellow infielder Franklin Barreto is headed to the Angels, per Rosenthal.
Now 31 years old, La Stella was a capable part-time player with the Braves and Cubs from 2014-18, but he has found another gear since joining the Angels before last season. Going back to 2019, La Stella has slashed .289/.353/.483 (125 wRC+) with 20 home runs and as many walks as strikeouts (35). La Stella even earned his first All-Star nod a season ago, though he was unable to play in the game after suffering a fractured tibia.
To his credit, La Stella has come back strong from his injury this year. He could soon emerge as the No. 1 option at second base for a contending Oakland club that has relied on Tony Kemp to handle the position so far.
Although La Stella was terrific as an Angel, they’re well out of contention, and he’s a pending free agent. As such, it made sense for the club to move on from La Stella and take on the 24-year-old Barreto, a former top prospect who didn’t receive consistent playing in Oakland.
Originally acquired from the Blue Jays as part of the two teams’ Josh Donaldson trade before 2015, Barreto batted a woeful .180/.210/.360 with nine homers in 219 plate appearances as an Athletic, and he has totaled just 10 trips to the plate this year. However, in addition to his prospect pedigree and youth, Barreto owns a strong track record in Triple-A, where he has hit .285/.356/.505 with 53 HRs in 1,285 PA. The Angels are obviously hoping Barreto will tap into his potential in their uniform, but because he’s out of minor league options, they won’t have the luxury of demoting him without possibly losing him.
Defensively, most of Barreto’s MLB playing time has come at second, where La Stella and Luis Rengifo have gotten the lion’s share of action for the club this year. But as the Angels go through the final month of what’s very likely to be another non-playoff season, they should be in position to evaluate Barreto as a possible everyday option at the keystone. The A’s, on the other hand, are taking a chance that La Stella will provide yet another weapon on a team aiming for an AL West title and a World Series this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I like it a lot
Good pick up
Big W
Angels got ripped off. Barreto in return?? Might as well put a polished rock at 2B
Totally agree. Barreto’s progress since the A’s acquired him in 2014 has been almost imperceptible. Maybe he’ll be a late bloomer, but to this point he has shown nothing whatsoever at the major league level.
So Oakland has nothing left from the Donaldson trade
JB Wendelken, sorta.
Keep in mind that the A’s got Donaldson in the first place because of the awful Rich Harden trade
If A’s couldn’t develop him then not much hope for Angels. Amazing A± for A’s. They got him for free. Angels C, they cut salary and got a prospect, have to think they could have gotten someone slightly better.
LOL. All the angels best hitters are grown there. What are you talking about? Now pitchers, on the other hand.
Not a prospect any longer, but a utility player who’s horrible.
Choco -horrible? You obviously don’t watch the Angels.
@prov356 There’s a reason why he was traded when there’s a chance Semien leaves as a free agent. That says how much the As think about Barreto being their future SS/2B over say Tony Kemp. Barreto is terrible. As for playing time in Anaheim. Utility is going to be his best asset because he is not taking anyone’s job unless the Angels trade Simba.
Choco – I misunderstood your comment because I thought you were calling LaStella horrible. My bad.
@prov356 All good, Lastella is pretty solid.
He will be awesome if he was in the AL Central. Guy owns the White Sox. 5 of his 9 homers against them and 2 of the other 4 came against pitchers who at one point played for the Sox.
Yep, they sure did. Not really surprising, though, with Eppler still the GM.
Barreto to SS and Simmions gets Trade. The A’s could asked for Bundy in it to. Know Astros got to step up.
The angels are in no position to trade any SP under contract until 2022
Thing is that Bundy is about to be a free agent. If they can get a solid arm that’s controllable for a few years in return for Bundy then it’ll be well worth it. Don’t think anyone will give that up but we’re gonna see I guess.
I believe Bundy has another season on his deal…free agent AFTER 2021.
As for Simmons he’s worth a draft comp pick if they let him walk.
Fletcher/Rengifo/Barreto is the Angels middle infield going forward.
Bundy is under ARB 3 for next season.
Agree. I’ll give them the benefit of knowing the market better than me with a month left but they really needed at least a promising relief pitcher in return. Pitching pitching pitching pitching pitching.
Ppl said LaStella was a bad pick up when the Angels acquired him before and look what they turned him into. Maybe they can tap into Barretto’s potential
Angels could let him manage the team. Joe is gonna show everyone that his reputation was more the byproduct of the GM’s he worked for.
I thought he was good with TB. Once he got to Chicago, it almost felt like he wanted to prove how smart he was by constantly tinkering with the lineup and the positions. I am decidedly no longer a fan of his.
Hey , take it easy on Mr. Maddon. He invented the game, you know?
Joe Maddon is like a loaf of bread. Nice at first, but gets stale after a while.
Barreto is 24 and was a great hitter in Las Vegas last year (not that being a great hitter in Las Vegas is hard, but not everyone manages, and he was pretty good in Nashville too). Could do a lot worse for a one month rental.
Garbage. Smh. Get a reliever or something to flip. They got someone who’s older and nobody wants. That’s a move to get someone from low minors for possible upside later. Maybe put him in a package deal on the day of the deadline.
Most Teams are looking for Pitching over Hitting. Tommy La Stella was a Rental (half a season on contract) & with the rest of his contract having no impact on their ability to make Playoffs they got a Prospect. If He turns things around they look Brilliant. If He is a Bust, They get a Better Draft Pick.
I think it was a Good trade for both sides.
Wow.
Dam the A’s get even better, that’s a HUGE upgrade. They can use him as there second basemen because that’s the only position they lack in
interesting trade. maybe a change of scenery helps Barreto
a change of eyeballs is the only thing that’s gonna help Barreto
Playing time will help. Who knows if he will get that in LA
It’s difficult to believe he won’t get a real chance. The Angels payed a high price for his upside.
*paid
Angels will pay Australian League for rights to Manny, who will play 2B.
I don’t get this from the Angels’ side. It seems to me that Tommy Boy was worth more than this.
At the end of the day La Stella is a rental for the next month or so. Not saying Barretto is all that good, doesn’t look like he’ll ever hit enough to play everyday, but he’s got plenty of control left and is still young so there’s a little potential and regardless he could be a useful cheap bench piece.
They only had 3 more games of La Stella and then he was a free agent. Not gonna get whole lot for a rental.
That’s a nice way to take a ridiculously short season and make it shorter
Angels need pitching. This makes no sense.
What on Earth is Eppler doing
The Donaldson trade truthers like Susan Slusser and the Beane worshippers now have something to hold onto forever because that’s great value for Barreto.
Barreto would have been a strong candidate to be non-tendered by the A’s after the season simply because he is STILL yet to make even the most modest contributions at the highest level. What’s more time in the minors gonna do for him? Eppler really does need to explain this to us in terms that make sense because he’s literally the only person in the planet who must see any value at all in Barreto.
What is a Donaldson trade truther? lol
The people who justify it from an Oakland perspective because they have trouble comprehending the fact that a great GM can make a terrible trade. Even until now people still assassinate Donaldson’s character with no proof to justify the trade because there is no other way they can.
Great take. Big fan!
Great take. I wondered this when I heard about the trade last night. If the A’s lift the trophy and raise a banner, even more so, especially if La Stella plays a part in that.
That’s the best Eppler could do???
Eppler probably found out he won’t be extended after this season so it was his way of sticking it to Moreno.
For the love of everything that is holy, please get Mike Trout out of there. Not that this specific trade was going to help/hurt their future chances of competing, but they’ve shown no signs of putting a competitive team around the best player in the sport.
Maybe they will sign another 30 year old to a huge contract.
Great for La Stella. He broke out here in a big way.
Was hoping for a reliever but it’s a return for 4 weeks of a player.
Just please beat out Houston for the West.
And Angels fans complained about Dipoto lol. I think it’s time to stop blaming Dipoto and start looking elsewhere to blame
dipoto is not only unprofessional but also unintelligent.
He’s not the only unprofessional and unintelligent ‘leader’ around.
Good point, just look at the Mets
You do realize Dipoto is rebuilding, took Seattle’s farm from 30th to 3rd, and still has his team ahead of LA, right? And most of Seattle’s elite prospects have yet to debut.
Jerry Dipsnot also went full rebuild. Traded everyone and anyone that had trade value. The Angels went for a slow rebuild, which takes longer. Don’t forget, Seattle’s farm system was ranked 13th when he took over and less than a year later they were ranked 30th
You are as delusional as you are lacking courtesy if you think LA has attempted a rebuild, and Seattle’s farm was ranked 26th by most sources when Jerry took over. Top prospects he inherited at the time were flawed, such as Alex Jackson DJ Peterson. How did they pan out?
But feel free to keep thinking Jerry was the problem in LA while you’re trying to figure out how he has a rebuilding team ahead in the standings at a fraction of the expense LA is spending in the cellar.
Dipoto should not have an MLB job!!!
That is the stupidest trade ever. Eppler should be fired today, The heck with letting his contract expire at the end of the season. We need pitching and we get an infielder who as Tommy Lasorda would say: He couldn’t hit water with an oar.
Makes you kind of wonder what type of P he actually could have obtained for a guy that’s going to be available for 28 games…… You can be upset, doesn’t mean the market supports your reality
People need to calm down. Barreto is still just 24; it is dumb to judge his potential based solely on prior MLB results. La Stella is a free agent in a month; LA was never going to get all that much for him. All in all, a reasonable trade on both ends.
Angels need nothing other than pitching. Our infield depth is there even without Tommy.
They need a LOT of pitching. 11-22 is laughably bad for a team with Trout and Rendon. Should’ve signed Keuchel and Wheeler instead. Heck, they could’ve traded for Maeda too.
MAEDA! He would have been a great pick-up, if they could have swung it. I don’t like DiPoto, and I’m not a fan of Eppler. However, I think the Angels suffer from the same problem the Dallas Cowboys do – they have an owner that thinks they understand the game as well as those that have been involved with it all their lives. I would like Arte a lot more if he would hire the right people and let them do their jobs. Congratulations, Oakland. This trade can only be a positive.
All ya’ll dummies realize that now we can trade Rengifo for a pitcher.
bk -we could have done that without trading LaStella.
How dare you have a sensible take! That won’t be tolerated on this forum.
Barreto is still just 24, but is also out of options. The Angels can’t just option the dude, they have to keep him on their roster.
I think I’m in the minority here (and I’m not an Angels fan), but I really like this move for the Angels. La Stella wasn’t going to bring much because he’s a rental in this market, so it’s smart to take a chance on Barreto.
Barreto has been pretty bad as a major leaguer, but his minor league track record is strong and he still has all the tools. For a lot of young players, they just need consistent at bats, and the A’s have been too good to have the patience to let him play every day and work through his struggles.
If you had posted this just a few minutes earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered typing up my post. Well said
But he won’t play every day with the Angels either. Rendon at third, Simmons at short, Fletcher at second, and Pujols at first. Fletcher isn’t going to sit to allow Barreto to have at bats. At best, Barreto will get playing time to allow Fletch to give other guys days off.
With nothing to play for, the Angels are going to give Barreto a month-long audition by rotating days off for their infielders. The tricky thing will be what they do next year if Barreto doesn’t perform and they are trying to contend in 2021.
Yes, but Simmons may well be gone in 2021, which creates opportunity for Barreto. It isn’t as if Rengifo has set the baseball world on fire this year, either.
But if Berreto really a SS? He came up as a SS, but mostly moved off in 2018. He has a .927 FP in the minors, which isn’t always the full story, and only 2 starts at SS with the A’s in 2018-2020.
If he was a glove-first SS, you could hope that the bat catches up. But as a 2B, with an incredible 59/2 K/W over the last three years, this doesn’t seem like much.
Simmons might be gone too in a day or two.
I’m an A’s fan who agrees. Matt Chapman and Matt Olson said coming up through the minors, it was Barreto that people came to see rather than them (readers of this, try your hardest to not be morons and construe this as someone saying Barreto is or will be better than either Chapman or Olson).
unfortunately, he has no options left. that means he has to jump-start his career in mlb. the angels have every desire to contend in 2021 and he may not have consistent at-bats to progress. and his defense, even in limited opportunities, are way down there.
I agree with this point too. But is taking a shot on him for 30 games (or longer) worse than taking a low-end PTBNL that might not even make the majors? At that point you might as well chase the upside.
Sure he’s out of options, but there’s hopefully MiLB next year. If he’s as bad as you say now and the rest of this year, then no one is going to pick him up if you pass him through waivers. Weren’t going to get much else for LaStella anyhow so worth a risk for a still young and cheaper option.
Just because he’s out of options doesn’t mean someone will claim him
If he’s bad enough this year+ next to be cut from LAA, he likely will pass waivers…
La Stella is a horrible baserunner and can’t play defense. As a LH DH, he’s fine, but he’s also a DH in a month.
I’m not going to miss him. At least Baretto has a chance to help the Angels.
i know what this means. arte must have decided not to re-sign simmons. what a horrible owner! and a misinformation specialist!
You are likely right Vizion.
So Vizion, you would rather pay Simmons around 15 million a season to pay around 100 games a season?
before simmons were injured in ’19 he played these many games with excellent results;
’16-124 games at 4.4 war.
’17-158 games at 7.8 war
’18-146 games at 6.3 war.
what the heck were you asking about? are you one of the new gen that only looks at the moment but ignore the trend? i’ve seen so many on these boards.
Stop it with those pesky facts vizion. People don’t like them and you could cause them to riot.
Vision, same ankle injury that cost him 58 games last season, cost him around 20 games this year. And you want to pay 15 million a season, for a guy who can’t stay on the field the last year or this year
Remind everyone what he did in 2019 and how he has fared so far this season. Who’s the one ignoring the current trend here?
15m a year for an oft-injured player who is on the wrong side of 30 and losing his ability to hit doesn’t sound like a wise use of money–especially given the fact that they have a perfectly fine alternative to play SS and have glaring needs with the pitching staff.
The trend of Simmons getting injured and getting older is not ignored. If I want WAR from 2016-2018 let’s pull up Encarnacion or Kluber’s numbers. They’re nice except you are paying for tomorrow as well as yesterday.
Nice pickup A’s. Well done
Could pay off. He’s only 24 and has never had regular AB’s. They’re probably giving him more of a shot that the A’s since they don’t have la Stella anymore. Former top 100 with nice power speed combo…
Pointless. LaStella is coming off a year where he was playing at a 30 HR pace and flirting with hitting .300, and has shown he was much more than just another weak utility player with the Cubs. Why not get a pitcher in return?
weird.
It is only a one month rental for the A’s. I hadn’t really thought about that so this might be the best the Angels could expect.
And has a 130 OPS+ this year!
If they traded him to a division rival, it’s because there was no market for him and this was the best they could get.
good trade. La Stella is a superb super utility guy but as good as he is, he isnt the hitter he was last year. he’s a .270 guy with a bit of pop and a nice gap bat. getting someone with Barreto’s ceiling for just a month pf him is fair, even if Barreto has yet to pan out.
we should have gotten a young pitcher or two.
wouldn’t have gotten more then a wild card pitcher though, and if it was two it would be two complete lottery tickets. talent is talent, and if Barreto shows anything they could just swap him for a pitcher then.
He’s having a better year in 2020. .371 OBP and a 130 OPS+ as opposed to .346 OBP and 118 OPS+ last season. The Angels got hosed.
A’s kinda deal here
Solid pickup for the A’s
The Angels are a dumpster fire this year, but my only criticism of this trade is that they didn’t get pitching. They did however trade an expiring contract for 4 years of control of a guy that was a former top-30 prospect. He hasn’t gotten consistent playing time with the A’s, and Andrelton Simmons is probably going to walk this offseason so there will be plenty of innings for Barreto to see if he can figure it out. He has MASHED at AAA and has played mostly 2B.
I will miss Tommy; he was great. But this is pretty solid return for a 2 month rental.
A’s gave baretto a raw deal, sparse at bats, rare chances he had, he did nothing. Personally I would’ve given baretto and Mateo chances in spring and went with them. Theywere flawed and young but some talent as formerly highly regarded prospects yet they opted for kemp and la Stella, I just hate when the A’s just waste trade assets. I expect guys like Fowler or skye bolt to be traded for some depth reliever
We were winning 97 games without them and they weren’t exactly contributing to that. The A’s did what was best for their chances at success now, not for in a few years.
he’ll get the same treatment unless he starts contributing right away in 2021.
I don’t get it. Is this like a moral obligation for teams to give failing prospects more chances? I mean, even in the local schoolyard, the only way to get playing time was to out-play whoever is playing your position.
Joe – I’m looking forward to the effort trophy ceremony this year.
Big agreement, A’sfan. I too was hoping Barreto would finally stick. Last season should have been Frankie’s year. He had a good spring, but 2019 was the “Summer of Profar.” Profar made some amazing catches, including one to preserve Fiers’ no-hitter. (Yes, and :Laureano also had a fabulous catch one batter later). But it was pitiful and painful to watch him try to throw. Always though Barreto would have shined with regular time in 2019.
Brad Pitt is a smart GM, nice deal
Just trade Trout. Ask SD or LAD for their entire minor league system. Pull the band aid off. Just do it quick, and it won’t hurt as much.
He’s easily the best player of is era, and the LAA have won exactly -0- playoff games in his 10 years in LA.
Then be merciful and let Pujols just retire. He has a negative -0.8 over the past four years. If you haven’t developed a better alternative in four years, everyone should be fired.
dumbest post of the day!
Why? For having the audacity to suggest that having the best player playing for the worst team, is not working?
Trout is best there is. I still don’t see see the dodgers or Padres taking on his contract or giving up their entire system. Either eat some salary and get a haul but not everything or trade as is and get a few great pieces.
I was being hyperbolic for effect. I have no idea what he would get in return. My main point was that the LAA should think about trading him. In the last four years, they haven’t finished better than 21 back, they were 35 out last year, and currently 12 back in the equivalent of 20% of a regular season.
Dodgers do not need him, now. We have Betts.
Need? No. Want? Maybe. How many teams could say they have 3 mvps in the starting lineup?
How would Angels fans feel about trading away trout? They will have to fill seats eventually. I think you are the minority. They will be in playoffs soon. Eventually they will either get a good front office or just purely luck into developing a few good starters. They would be in the playoffs now. Should be in playoffs now but didn’t their owner have a little hissy fit and couldn’t wait 2 more days to get Stripling? They couldn’t sign 2 of a dozen free agent pitchers that could of had them in contention?
Angels could of had 3 mvps if they kept Hamilton.
stripling trade was rejected because the dodgers asked for more than they first agreed.
@ Joe brady
It’s a dumb post for suggesting they trade away the best player in the game. Do you think Trout is the problem? Have you even thought about how little they would get back because of the salary that goes along with him? Look at what Stanton returned to the Marlins. Verlander to the Tigers. I doubt you would be happy with that.
Why is it the dumbest post? Makes perfect sense but it will not be the Dodgers.
He’s not going to your team. Get over it. It would be dumb for any team to trade a center piece who is the best player in the game they can build around for the future. And while you’re at it, talk to Griffey.
Well, if you’re basing your opinion off of what happened to Griffey, you would have to believe that trading Trout is the best possible scenario for the Angels.
Totally agree! Hopefully Arte will pay for a real GM and not someone‘s flunky.. Make it enticing for a proven GM from the Rays, Twins, White Sox, Indians, Bluejays or Padres to skip town. GM Eppler who came from the Yankees, was supposed to be an expert at building up the horrible Minor League System. Well, just look at all the young guys the Yanks have keeping them in contention year after year and what the Angels have brought up over the years. I watched the Yankees-Mets games today and the Bombers had 3 nobody infielders start game one. I bet they would have loved to have LaStella.
bojo – Eppler did a lot to repair the damage done by Dipoto. I believe Moreno is the problem. He approved relatively low offers to a number of pitchers so he could say he was “in” on them. Moreno is enamored with the long ball hence the stacked line up with no pitching for years for them to support. He won’t spend the money it takes for both.
Other than Fletcher and hopefully Adell and/or Canning, who has Eppler brought though the minors? August 31 should be the last day Eppler makes a trade for the Angels.
Id be happy if I was the Angels..this means you probably wont get baited into Simmons this offseason –
Gotta get cheap contributions on offense from Adell Marsh Barreto Fletch
Sigh. Was hoping my Jays would get him.
I was hoping the Jays were going to get Le Stella.
Barreto can pitch? Same old story, be 15 deep at every position throughout the system and no pitching.
Why not a high upside, young Single A pitcher? He wouldn’t help the Angels on the mound next season, but may offer promise down the road. Btw, Baretto won’t help the Angels on the mound next year either.
How different is Baretto from Rengifo? I’m not familiar with Baretto, but he and Rengifo sound like the same player. Baretto has the pedigree, but at the MLB level, how does he differ from Rengifo?
If this signals Simmons exit, who is the Angels SS next year? Fletcher, the successful, proven commodity or the heretofore poor performing Baretto?
Fletcher would be perfectly fine at shortstop, I wouldn’t worry lol. I wish A’s would trade for him but that’s not happening
We would be fine losing Simmons with LaStella in the mix – Fletcher and LaStella up the middle and LaStella giving Pujols a break with Rengifo sliding in at 2B. With LaStella gone, that changes our need to keep Simmons. I think the only way forward now to ensure a solid defensive infield is to extend an offer to Simmons.
Or sign La Stella in a few months when he is a free agent. The Angels didn’t trade La Stella and give him a 5 year extension to go to the A’s. He’ll be there for 2.5 months.
That’s my hope, JohnnyBets.
Good trade for both sides, La Stella is a great add to the A’s.
Well, the Angels finally get a first. Not only did they give up on 2020 but they traded a key asset to their division rivals, the Athletics. Brilliant.
Will the A’s still choke in the playoffs? Of course!
OAK gets versatility and a veteran player in LaStella for a playoff push. Angels may have received their future at 2B.
Barreto would hit 30 homers playing in the AL Central. 7 of 9 against an one time White Sox pitcher. Including his major league debut.
Exactly what the Angels needed, another middle infielder. This doesn’t move the needle off empty for Angels fans. 0-10 with 7 K’s, wonderful. Should fit right in.
I feel like this is a lot more important move than it seems right now. This is a winning team move. It fills literally the only hole on that team (besides maaaybe catcher, though I like Murphy). La Stella fills a gaping hole in that lineup, and it works. I like it.
I agree. This guy knows what a team needs to win the World Series. Now I know his stats suck in the playoffs when he was on those Cubs teams. He might not have a post season hit but he does have a ring.
He just broke out fairly recently., but he still has a ring sooo… good on him?
Great trade for both sides. I think Barreto will greatly benefit from a change of scenery and La Stella will at the very minimum provide serviceable production at second base. I’m curious to see what the A’s will do with Tony Kemp though.
Don’t be surprised if Tommy LaStella signs with Angels next year. Manager Madden loves him since they were together with the Cubs for 4 years
Doesn’t make sense the point is to give Barreto a shot. And with Simmons leaving they can use that money for pitching and give the Barreto and Fletcher tandem a chance in the middle infield. Bringing La Stella back makes this trade pointless for them.
Red Eye – By the article and comments, it sounds like Barreto has been given plenty of shots and has under performed. I see LaStella as a possible Angels signing next year too if we lose Simmons. He’s a good starter at 2B and relief for Pujols at 1B in his final year of bilking the Angels, with Rengifo as the back fill at 2B.
Ohtani is working out in right field and at 1st base. Imagine his arm and speed in the outfield or his height and stretching abilities at 1st base!!
bojo – Yes! I’ve been saying Ohtani is the 1st baseman of the Angels’ future for awhile. He can move to the mound to close out a game or two also. I think that would be brilliant.
You guys got it all wrong, La Stella slumps in Oakland, Barreto breaks out in LA, this was a poor move by the A’s in my opinion.
How do you figure? La Stella has been hitting well for a while now, what’s gonna change?
Seems like the Angels got ripped off here. Look, ole Tommy isn’t gonna bring back much of a return, but getting a guy who has proven he’s not exactly worth a roster spot doesn’t seem like a good deal. Cash and a prospect with a low ceiling high floor is reasonable here. At least give your fans some hope
Barreto has never really been given the chance to prove he deserves a roster spot. We’re about to find out the answer to that question.
Crap, exactly who I was hoping Atlanta could get for 3rd base. The A’s are gonna be tough to beat
Todd Frazier? And starting pitching x2
Frazier would be a slight upgrade I guess. I’d like to see them get Cueto if SF were to pick up some salary. To be honest, I’d rather they just call up their young pitchers and see what they’ve got.
So the Angels who don’t have much depth at the Major League level, traded a guy who will not with the team after this season. La Stella is a nice bat, but is complete garbage at second base defensively. Now granted I would rather they had gotten a reliever, but almost every team in contention is looking for pitching. So the teams who have relievers to trade will be looking for prospects. Not a one month rental. Maybe package Simmons, Goodwin and Heaney to a contender for a top pitching prospect. Maybe get Hunter Green
The Reds won’t do that. I said look at the braves • rays • padres , they could use pitching, and they have good farm systems.
Hopefully Franklin can pitch
They should get a nice package if they decide to trade Bundy, maybe try to look at the braves , padres or rays , all three teams have great farm systems.
The Angels should be looking to lock Bundy on a 4 or 5 year deal. Not looking to trade him.
Im stuck on trading him or keeping him, He would bring back a nice package of young talent. But then again he’s been a godsend due to the change of scenery.
412 – I say keep him. You don’t trade away your best pitcher when all you need is pitching.
Does this mean Fletcher is the full time SS or what??
I would put him at second, Depending on what they do with Simmons. Should they put him and Bundy in a package?
Interesting trade that hopefully works out well for both teams. A change of scenario and a chance to play full-time might allow Barreto to finally break out. La Stella can’t play D, but his shown he can put up better than average batting splits. Barreto wasn’t ever going to help Oakland this season, so it’s worth it for them.
The A’s ripped the Angels off. The Angels should have gotten more for La Stella.
So you thought they were going to get exactly what for a first baseman slash DH for one month? You weren’t going to get an elite prospect for him. The A’s were not tradings bullpen arm.
Best pitcher you would’ve gotten would’ve been a lottery ticket A ball pitcher, or a mediocre reliever. A month of La Stella just brought you back a high ceiling former top 50 prospect who’s still young and has the tools to succeed. That’s better than adding a mediocre pitcher.
Teams can only trade players on there 60 man roster. So they couldn’t get a low A starter.
M’s just traded T.Walker to Jays for a PTBNL who is definitely NOT on the 60-man, probably going to be exactly that…a low-level longshot prospect!
Absolutely amazing how many on here think that teams were beating down the Angels’ door with offers of young controllable pitching in exchange for 2 months of Tommy LaStella. Reality check people!
I like the trade. Angels get a guy in Barreto who at the very least, can fill in well defensively at multiple positions. If he get’s the bat going, it’s an additional plus. Yes Tommy can hit at this point. But to watch him in the field was just brutal. It doesn’t show in the fielding percentages, but Tommy extended many innings by not making the proper play. Things like being unable to turn a routine double play, not being able to get the proper angle on a ground ball thus yielding a hit, not being able to make a throw after making a tough stop. All of these don’t show up as errors, but caused pitchers to have 4 or 5 out innings. Yes, Tommy won games with his bat, but he also did lose games with his glove/arm.
There was no way the Angels were going to resign LaStella. Might as well get a potential long term piece for him. If Barreto doesn’t work out, it was no loss.
Barretto is 24 and posted a 900+ OPS in AAA last year flashing a lot of speed and power. I know its PCL, but he still had a lot of success. Some guys take longer than others to develop, so to label him a bust is premature. Give him at least like a year
Oh god! No one will remember but I predicted we would never see Barretto become an everyday player back when he was one of the top prospects in baseball. Not because I didn’t think he was good, but because I know how the A’s handle their top prospects. Love Billy Beane but ridiculous
Angels trying to do what A’s did last year with Profar, former top prospect of division rival who might fetch you something if they can rebuild some value(A’s traded Profar to SD for 2 decent prospects)
Profar had size and skills. But no heart. You just need to watch him in the LL World Series.