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Angels Rumors

Brian Goodwin Garnering Interest

By Connor Byrne | July 29, 2019 at 10:22pm CDT

Angels outfielder Brian Goodwin is drawing interest from teams seeking corner depth in the grass, Buster Olney of ESPN tweets. As a 55-52 team with a glimmer of a playoff chance, it’s unclear how open the Angels are to moving the 28-year-old.

He wouldn’t net a significant return in a trade, but Goodwin has been an effective buy-low pickup for the Angels. With left fielder Justin Upton battling a serious toe injury that ultimately kept him out until mid-June, the Angels claimed Goodwin off release waivers from the Royals immediately before the season began. At that point, Goodwin was coming off a run of playable offensive production divided between Washington and Kansas City. The lefty-swinging Goodwin posted a league-average wRC+ (100) from 2017-18, a 458-plate appearance span in which he slashed .246/.315/.456 with 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases.

The Angels likely would have been content with similar production this year from Goodwin, but they’ve instead received markedly better work. While it has been a hot-and-cold type of season for Goodwin – who has had two excellent months (April, July) and two subpar ones (May, June) – he has managed to put together a .287/.343/.480 line (117 wRC+) with 29 extra-base hits (18 doubles, nine homers, two triples) and three steals over 281 trips to the plate. A .360 batting average on balls in play has propped up Goodwin’s output, to be sure, and the gap between his weighted on-base average (.347) and expected wOBA (.319) also suggests good fortune has played a role in his success.

What Goodwin has done as an Angel may be smoke and mirrors to some extent, but no interested team would expect to be acquiring any kind of outfield savior. The fact that Goodwin’s a useful major league hitter, a fast runner and someone who can play all three outfield spots – albeit not especially well, according to advanced metrics – makes him an appealing piece. Plus, he’s earning close to the league minimum this season and still has another three years of arbitration eligibility remaining. The Angels may decide to keep Goodwin for those reasons, not to mention they could lose right fielder Kole Calhoun in the offseason if they decline his $14MM club option in favor of a $1MM buyout.

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Los Angeles Angels Brian Goodwin

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Angels Select Jose Rodriguez

By Ty Bradley | July 27, 2019 at 4:35pm CDT

The Angels have selected the contract of righty Jose Rodriguez among a series of roster moves, the team reports.

Rodriguez, 23, had posted strikeout rates of 10 or better at both Double and Triple-A this season. He isn’t one of the team’s most well-regarded prospects, with FanGraphs profiling the righty as an “up-and-down” arm, though he seems a mere temporary fill-in for Noe Ramirez, who was placed on the 10-Day IL with a viral infection.

The back-end of the Angels’ pen, anchored by an ascendant Ty Buttrey and resurgent Hansel Robles, has been mostly effective this season, though there’s certainly room for improvement at the front end. The club sits just 4.5 games back in a top-heavy AL Wild Card race, so a systematic patching-up of any and all holes will be at the fore of the club’s deadline plans.

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Los Angeles Angels Transactions Jose Rodriguez Noe Ramirez

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Angels Recall Nick Tropeano, Designate Adalberto Mejia

By Jeff Todd | July 26, 2019 at 7:35pm CDT

The Angels announced that they have recalled righty Nick Tropeano from Triple-A to start tonight’s game. Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times first reported that decision on Twitter.

To create roster space, the club designated southpaw Adalberto Mejia for assignment. Mejia was recently claimed off waivers from the Twins.

The Halos will hope that Mejia clears waivers and can be stashed at Triple-A. He’d be a nice depth piece to have on hand, particularly for an organization that needs both rotation and bullpen options. Mejia had endured a brutal stretch in Minnesota to open the year but gave his new club four good outings (one earned run, 6:1 K/BB in 4 1/3 innings) to open his tenure.

As for Tropeano, this’ll be his latest attempt to reestablish himself in the majors. He was ambushed in two prior MLB starts this year. And things haven’t gone well at Triple-A, either. Through 49 1/3 frames, he’s carrying a 7.66 ERA on 64 base knocks with 10.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.

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Los Angeles Angels Transactions Adalberto Mejia Nick Tropeano

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Angels Looking For Starting Pitching

By Jeff Todd | July 26, 2019 at 5:08pm CDT

The Angels have no hope of making a charge in the AL West and face a tough path to the Wild Card, but the club doesn’t appear to be ready to wave the white flag. To the contrary, the Halos are looking at a wide variety of potentially available starters, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).

Though they have battled into a plausible contending position, the Angels’ starting pitching situation remains quite problematic. The unfathomable loss of Tyler Skaggs has left an enormous hole in the organization and on the roster. With Andrew Heaney heading to the IL and JC Ramirez turning in messy rehab results, the rotation is full of inexperienced, less-than-ideal options.

Given the long odds of even reaching the postseason, it’s hard to imagine the Halos chasing the top rental arms. But the club does have good cause to consider controllable hurlers that will not only contribute now but help to fill out the rotation in the near future. Last winter’s signings of Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill have been complete duds — which is always a risk, but especially so when you’re focused on short-term free agents. Repeating that approach probably won’t have a ton of appeal. But the Angels will surely also remain reticent to make a big commitment to a better veteran starter in free agency.

Trade talks make sense, then, particularly now that the L.A. organization has a greater abundance of prospects to work with. Of course, the team will also need to protect those assets as much or more as its future payroll capacity. An anemic talent pipeline has been a big problem in recent campaigns. The team is already enjoying the fruits of a more productive farm and will surely want to exercise caution lest it compromise its future talent base.

It’ll be interesting to see just how aggressively the Angels approach the starting pitching market. The preferred targets of GM Billy Eppler aren’t really clear. Heyman mentions Noah Syndergaard and Trevor Bauer — two of the best hurlers that could be moved this summer — but seemingly only by way of example. The report suggests the Angels have been looking at any and all possible arms. With value a paramount consideration for a team in this particular situation, a broad market exploration makes good sense.

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Los Angeles Angels

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Quick Hits: Hamels, Jeimer, A’s, Lucroy, Rays, Brewers

By Connor Byrne | July 26, 2019 at 1:56am CDT

Cubs left-hander Cole Hamels will “likely” return from the injured list Aug. 2 or 3 if he gets through one more rehab start unscathed, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Having suffered a left oblique strain June 28, it appears the 35-year-old will end up missing just over a month. The Cubs have tread water without Hamels, going 11-10 since he incurred his injury, which has been enough to stay atop the NL Central. They’re leading the division thanks in no small part to Hamels, who has recorded a 2.98 ERA/3.59 FIP with 8.76 K/9, 3.16 BB/9 and a 51.1 percent groundball rate in 99 2/3 innings.

More from around baseball…

  • Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario has begun getting reps at first base at the urging of general manager Al Avila and assistant GM David Chadd, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News explains. The decision comes with Triple-A third baseman Dawel Lugo “likely” on his way back to the majors soon, infield prospect Isaac Paredes soaring through the Tigers’ system and right fielder Nicholas Castellanos a strong bet to leave before the trade deadline, McCosky notes. Once Castellanos is out of the picture, the Tigers figure to use at least one of their current first base options – Harold Castro and Brandon Dixon – in right. Candelario has only played one major league game at first, though the 25-year-old has lined up there 35 times in the minors. Regardless of position, this has been a disappointing season for Candelario – who, along with Paredes – joined the Tigers in a trade with the Cubs in July 2017. Candelario was a top 100 prospect who was immediately successful in the majors, but he has batted just .213/.309/.360 (79 wRC+) with seven home runs in 272 plate appearances this year. To his credit, though, Candelario has hit far better since the Tigers demoted him to Toledo on May 15 and then recalled him June 26.
  • Athletics southpaw Sean Manaea – out since he underwent shoulder surgery last September – survived a 76-pitch rehab start with Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Manaea struggled over 4 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs and three HRs, but the A’s are encouraged that he remains on track to return to the majors by the second week of August. In the meantime, Manaea’s scheduled for two more Triple-A starts. He’ll progress to 90 pitches in his next outing and then 100 in what should be his final minors start of the year. In further good news for Oakland, outfielder Stephen Piscotty is slated to begin a rehab stint over the weekend. A sprained right MCL has shelved Piscotty since June 30.
  • Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy will start a rehab assignment at the High-A level Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com relays. The Angels plan to re-evaluate Lucroy after he plays two games. The 33-year-old has been out since he bore the brunt of a brutal home plate collision with Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick on July 7. The league issued Marisnick a two-game suspension for plowing into Lucroy, who suffered a concussion and a broken nose. Lucroy also had to undergo surgery on his nasal fracture.
  • Baseball America released its latest organizational talent rankings on Thursday (subscription required). Led by shortstop Wander Franco, whom BA ranks as the game’s best prospect, the Rays check in at No. 1. However, even without Franco, BA contends the Rays would still have baseball’s premier farm system. Beyond Franco, the club boasts eight other top 100 prospects. The Brewers don’t have any, on the other hand, making them the outlet’s last-ranked org. As BA points out, though, superb rookie second baseman Keston Hiura did just graduate from Milwaukee’s system.
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Chicago Cubs Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Angels Notes Oakland Athletics Cole Hamels Jeimer Candelario Jonathan Lucroy Sean Manaea Stephen Piscotty

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Angels Release Matt Harvey

By George Miller | July 23, 2019 at 1:37pm CDT

July 23: Harvey is now officially a free agent after clearing waivers, the Angels announced.

July 21: The Angels have requested unconditional release waivers on right-handed pitcher Matt Harvey, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. The move comes after Harvey was designated for assignment on Friday.

Thus continues a frustrating season for Harvey, who earned an $11MM contract from the Halos, representing an opportunity to re-establish himself as a viable rotation option after injuries derailed his career. Unfortunately, though, the contract has been a disaster for the playoff-hopeful Angels, who have by all measures received negative value from their one-year investment: Harvey’s ERA has ballooned to 7.09, the worst of his career. Other indicators paint a similar picture: with a 6.36 FIP and a .390 xwOBA, the Angels had little reason to continue trotting Harvey out to the mound every fifth day.

Harvey has seen his fastball velocity take yet another step back this season, continuing a trend that began after his peak in 2013. In 2019, Harvey’s fastball has averaged 93.68 mph per Brooks Baseball, a far cry from the 96.96 mark he posted in his All-Star season. While the former number still comes in slightly above average, the declining velocity mirrors an overall trend in Harvey’s performance, with his strikeout rate declining to a career-worst 14.7%. That, coupled with a walk rate that is likewise trending in the wrong direction, has led to an abysmal 1.34 K:BB ratio.

With his Angels tenure now in the rear-view, it will be intriguing to monitor Harvey’s status in free agency. Given the prodigious success that he enjoyed early in his career, it seems likely that several teams will have interest in taking a flyer on the veteran, especially at a much more affordable price; in light of his recent performance, Harvey may only garner a minor-league deal. Perhaps teams would be interested in converting Harvey to a bullpen role in hopes that his stuff would play up, though it’s unclear if Harvey himself would be open to such a change. The Mets experimented with Harvey as a reliever prior to his departure in 2018, though he only made four appearances, making it hard to draw any conclusions about his viability out of the bullpen.

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Los Angeles Angels Newsstand Transactions Matt Harvey

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Angels Claim Adalberto Mejia, Place Andrew Heaney On IL

By Connor Byrne | July 20, 2019 at 5:02pm CDT

The Angels have claimed left-hander Adalberto Mejia off waivers from the Twins and placed fellow southpaw Andrew Heaney on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 17), per an announcement from Los Angeles. Heaney’s dealing with shoulder inflammation, though he doesn’t have any structural damage, J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register reports.

The 26-year-old Mejia was a top 100 prospect in his days in the Giants’ farm system, but he hasn’t lived up to the billing in the majors as a member of the Twins. Since Mejia made his MLB debut with Minnesota in 2016, he has pitched to a 4.63 ERA with 7.4 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 138 innings. He was barely a factor for this year’s Twins, totaling just 15 1/3 innings before they booted him from their 40-man roster.

For an Angels team low on pitching, there’s no real risk in taking a flier on Mejia. Perhaps he’ll help make up for the loss of Heaney, another former high-end prospect. Heaney hasn’t been especially durable in his career, and the 28-year-old has also dealt with a decline in performance this season. He owns a 5.09 ERA/4.79 FIP despite 10.57 K/9 against 3.72 BB/9 in 46 innings in 2019.

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Los Angeles Angels Minnesota Twins Transactions Adalberto Mejia Andrew Heaney

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Checking In On Largest One-Year Deals: Pitchers

By Connor Byrne | July 19, 2019 at 8:22pm CDT

Seven months after signing right-hander Matt Harvey to an $11MM guarantee, the Angels are moving on from the floundering former ace. By my count, Harvey’s one of eight pitchers to receive at least $5MM on a one-year contract since the winter. It’s an arbitrary amount, but as you’ll see below, most of the game’s other fairly expensive short-term hurlers also haven’t lived up to their paydays so far in 2019. To the Angels’ chagrin, Harvey’s not the lone free-agent signing of theirs on this list.

Dallas Keuchel, SP, Braves ($13MM):

  • Unlike the other members of this group, Keuchel was not a winter pickup for his team. He instead went without a club until early June, owing to a steep asking price and a qualifying offer hanging over his head, before accepting the Braves’ one-year offer. The former Cy Young winner with Houston has been a mixed bag in his first month in Atlanta, though it’s worth pointing out he didn’t have the benefit of a spring training. The 31-year-old southpaw has taken the ball six times for the Braves and notched a 3.58 ERA with a 2.87 BB/9 and a 57.7 percent groundball rate, all of which are appealing. Conversely, Keuchel’s 5.23 FIP and 5.26 K/9 through 37 2/3 innings may be cause for alarm.

Trevor Cahill, SP/RP, Angels ($9MM):

  • Cahill was a low-cost signing entering 2018 for the Athletics, who profited from the 110 effective innings the right-hander gave them as part of a patchwork rotation. The Angels expected something similar this season, but the Cahill addition has blown up in their faces thus far. Cahill was so disappointing as a member of the Halos’ starting staff that they moved him to a relief position several weeks back. Neither role has suited the 31-year-old in 2019, evidenced by his 6.56 ERA/6.20 FIP with 6.81 K/9 and 3.09 BB/9 across 70 innings.

Cody Allen, RP, Angels ($8.5MM):

  • Yet another regrettable investment for the Angels, Allen lost his place in the organization a month ago and then had to settle for a minor league contract with the Twins. Allen joined the Angels off a mediocre-at-best 2018 with the Indians, but he was an imposing late-game reliever in the preceding years. The Angels were banking on Allen revisiting his halcyon days. Instead, they got a 6.26 ERA/8.39 FIP over 23 innings from the righty. Allen did fan upward of 11 hitters per nine in that span, but he also walked almost eight, induced groundballs at a measly 19.7 percent clip, gave up nine home runs, and experienced a drop in velocity for the second straight season.

CC Sabathia, SP, Yankees ($8MM):

  • It was no surprise Sabathia and the Yankees stayed together last winter for the final season of the potential Hall of Famer’s career. The 38-year-old lefty has since repaid the Yankees with 82 innings of 4.06 ERA ball and 8.45 K/9 against 3.07 BB/9. Sabathia’s 5.29 FIP and 4.77 xFIP are much less encouraging, but it’s worth noting he also outpitched those metrics in the prior couple years after reinventing himself as a soft-contact specialist. While Sabathia’s average exit velocity against has gone up more than 2 mph since last year, per Statcast, he still ranks in the league’s 88th percentile in terms of hard-hit rate.

Derek Holland, SP/RP, Giants ($7MM):

  • The former Ranger and White Sox revived his career with the Giants last season after they took a flier on him on a minor league pact. That led the Giants to bring back Holland on a guaranteed deal, but the move hasn’t worked out. Holland began the season with seven starts and 32 innings of 6.75 ERA/6.44 FIP pitching, which forced the Giants to demote him to their bullpen in the first half of May. The 32-year-old has done better as a reliever since then, though he still hasn’t been particularly good. Through 33 frames, Holland has recorded a 4.09 ERA/5.03 FIP with 7.64 K/9 against 4.09 BB/9.

Trevor Rosenthal, RP, Nationals ($7MM):

  • Rosenthal’s similar to Allen as a former standout closer whose career has gone in the tank recently. The Rosenthal signing went so poorly for the Nationals that they released him toward the end of June. The flamethrowing Rosenthal was a stud at times for the Cardinals from 2012-17, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in the last of those seasons and sat out all of 2018. In his return to the majors with the Nationals this year, Rosenthal logged an unfathomable 22.74 ERA with 21.32 BB/9 in 6 1/3 innings. He also spent more than a month on the injured list with a viral infection while on Washington’s roster. After the Nats cut Rosenthal, he caught on with the Tigers on a minor league contract. The 29-year-old is now back in the majors with rebuilding Detroit, having tossed a pair of scoreless innings and posted two strikeouts and two walks as a Tiger.

Tyson Ross, SP, Tigers ($5.75MM):

  • As has often been the case during Ross’ career, an injury – an elbow issue this time – has largely kept him from contributing. Ross hasn’t taken a major league mound since May 10, nor does it look as if a return is imminent. Before landing on the shelf, Ross, 32, put up an ugly 6.11 ERA/5.99 FIP with 6.37 K/9 and 4.58 BB/9 in 35 1/3 frames. Ross was serviceable last year between San Diego and St. Louis, however, so the Tigers were likely hoping he’d perform similarly over this season’s first few months and turn into a trade chip around the July 31 deadline. That dream died weeks ago.
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Atlanta Braves Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Angels MLBTR Originals New York Yankees San Francisco Giants Washington Nationals C.C. Sabathia Cody Allen Dallas Keuchel Derek Holland Trevor Cahill Trevor Rosenthal

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Angels Designate Matt Harvey For Assignment

By Jeff Todd | July 19, 2019 at 6:18pm CDT

The Angels announced that they have designated righty Matt Harvey for assignment. The move comes on the heels of yet another rough outing for the 30-year-old former ace.

There are several other pitching moves coming for Los Angeles. Righty Jake Jewell was optioned out, creating room for the team to recall right-hander Jaime Barria and first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jared Walsh.

The Halos also announced that Keynan Middleton has been diagnosed with mild ulnar neuritis. While the good news is that he isn’t dealing with a structural issue, the reliever has been returned from his rehab assignment. His timeline for a full return remains unclear.

Harvey has posted brutal numbers for much of the season, struggling to find any kind of consistency. His one-year, $11MM contract has simply not worked out. It’s much the same story for the other veterans inked to one-year contracts over the winter, with Cody Allen ($8MM) long since released and Trevor Cahill ($9MM) limping along at much the same pace as Harvey.

While those signings are all disappointing, it remains particularly jarring to see the former Mets star Harvey struggling to stay afloat in the bigs. He lost yet more velocity this season and was near the bottom of the league in statistics ranging from strikeout percentage (14.7%) to the expected batting average (.302) and slugging percentage (.524) of opposing hitters, as measured by Statcast.

All told, Harvey has managed only 59 2/3 innings of 7.09 ERA pitching this year for the Angels. With 5.9 K/9 against 4.4 BB/9 and nearly two long balls per regulation game, ERA estimators did not take a much more optimistic view of his contributions. He graded out with a 6.35 FIP, 5.43 xFIP, and 5.78 SIERA.

It’s not at all clear where Harvey will go from here. Perhaps an effort to rebuild his repertoire or otherwise find a new approach will be necessary. Even if his arm speed won’t ever fully return, there’ll surely be teams interested in seeing if they can unlock some of the immense talent that Harvey showed during his heyday with the Mets.

In a 65-start run from 2012-2015, Harvey threw 427 innings of 2.53 ERA ball for the New York organization that drafted him. That included exceptional work both before and after the Tommy John procedure that cost him the 2014 campaign. After extending himself in the Mets’ 2015 World Series run — he kept pitching down the stretch and threw 26 2/3 excellent postseason innings after a memorable dispute arose over his availability — Harvey’s health took a turn for the worse. He ultimately underwent a procedure to relieve thoracic outlet syndrome in the summer of 2016. While Harvey has had stretches of useful MLB work since, he has never come close to regaining his early form.

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Los Angeles Angels Newsstand Transactions Jaime Barria Jake Jewell Jared Walsh Keynan Middleton Matt Harvey

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Angels Focused On Acquiring Players Controlled Beyond 2019

By Steve Adams | July 19, 2019 at 9:00am CDT

At 50-48 and 11 games back in the American League West, the Angels don’t have much hope of contending for a division title. They’re one of six AL clubs with a plausible shot at a Wild Card spot, however, currently sitting five and a half games back in the standings. That might not put them in position to be one of the market’s most aggressive buyers, but general manager Billy Eppler tells Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that he’s “absolutely” looking to add to his roster.

Eppler specifies that the Halos will “lean heavily” toward players controlled beyond the 2019 season, likely due to the fact that they’re chasing a one-game playoff. Clubs are generally reluctant to be too aggressive in selling off significant farm assets for a coinflip Wild Card showdown, making Eppler’s approach a fairly straightforward one.

Looking around the Angels’ roster, the pitching staff stands out as a logical area on which to focus. Neither Matt Harvey nor Trevor Cahill has performed anywhere close to the manner in which the Angels hoped when signing the pair to one-year deals over the winter, and both will be free agents at season’s end. The tragic death of Tyler Skaggs still enshrouds the organization as well, and while it always feels a bit cold to look at such a heartbreaking event through a pure baseball lens, it’s hard to understate just how significant that loss is for the Angels’ rotation moving forward. Shohei Ohtani will return to the mound in 2020, joining Andrew Heaney and Griffin Canning, but there’s little clarity beyond that trio.

The summer trade market should feature several options who are controlled/signed through at least the 2020 season. Marcus Stroman is the likeliest such arm to move, but others potentially available options include Matthew Boyd (arb-eligible through 2022), Robbie Ray (arb-eligible through 2020), Trevor Bauer (arb-eligible through 2020) and Mike Minor (signed for $9.5MM in 2020). Minor is admittedly a tough fit even if is ultimately traded, given that the division-rival Rangers are currently a game ahead of the Angels in the standings. Controllable catching options might be a bit tougher to dig up — Wilson Ramos or James McCann could be available, and the Padres have depth at the position — but the Angels have had a bit of a revolving door behind the plate in recent seasons.

Part of the decision to operate as buyers could also be a function of the fact that the Angels don’t have much in the way of short-term assets to sell. All of the club’s short-term, offseason pickups are either injured (Jonathan Lucroy, Tommy La Stella) or playing poorly (Harvey, Cahill and the already released Cody Allen). The team’s core is controlled beyond this season. Eppler calls moving a player with club control remaining a “non-starter” in trade negotiations, as the front office is focused on an “upward angle” for the team.

The Angels have just under $115MM committed to the payroll for the 2020 season and don’t have may significant arbitration raises on the horizon, so they should be in good position to take on salary in a trade if need be. The team’s current payroll, for context, exceeds $177MM.

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Los Angeles Angels

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