Angels Prioritizing Control In Search For Bat

[SoWhat]

Los Angeles does prefer a left-handed bat that can slot in left field, but is even more concerned with obtaining a player that can be controlled past this season. With numerous big league positions set to open up in 2016, it seems that the team is interested in utilizing the deadline as an opportunity to find some answers for the present and the near future.

While the Angels will consider a rental acquisition, says Gonzalez, Justin Upton of the Padres is not among the players being considered. He could be the biggest bat dealt, and the Angels feel that San Diego has placed too high a price tag on the soon-to-be free agent.

The club’s preferred angle, per the report, would be to move starter C.J. Wilson as part of a deal. Though Wilson has been a fairly steady presence in the rotation, the organization would like to move some of his big salary in order to free space under the luxury tax line for the coming offseason.

http://m.angels.mlb.com/news/article/137604668/angels-remain-hopeful-of-adding-bat-in-deal

Edited July 21, 2015 by SoWhat

[tdawg87]

1. Get Lind for Tropeano and another prospect. He has an 8 million dollar option for next year.

 

2. Trade CJ and 60% of his contract to the Dodgers for Van Slyke and Pedro Baez.

 

3. Win.

Edited July 21, 2015 by tdawg87

[JoJo26]

Isn't Lind a first baseman?

 

We don't need anymore 1B

 

Signed,

 

Kendry Morales

Mark Trumbo

[tdawg87]

Isn't Lind a first baseman?

 

We don't need anymore 1B

 

Signed,

 

Kendry Morales

Mark Trumbo

 

What is a Designated Hitter?

[ten ocho recon scout]

I sincerely hope the angels arent going public that they want to trade cj. If they do or dont, it sucks for him (or any other player). Its like the reverse grienke....ill play here if they pay me the most, otherwise im gone.

Theres nothing wrong with the player or the team being businessmen and going for the best deal, but you shouldnt broadcast it

[Guest]

Matt Klentak commented...cool.

[Oz27]

Lind for Tropeano would be really bad. Way too much to give up.

[tdawg87]

Lind for Tropeano would be really bad. Way too much to give up.

 

Please explain.

[bloodbrother]

Would be sweet to move CJ and most of his salary and pick up a solid bat back in return

[Oz27]

Please explain.

I view Tropeano as a guy who should be a good mid rotation starter for us for a very long time. Lind is an average DH who we would have for less than one and a half seasons. Tropeano shouldn't be off limits but if we are giving him up I would want it to be for someone better than Lind, who I imagine should cost less anyway.

[SoWhat]

Lind to the Angels makes too much sense not to happen. I'd offer Gatto and/or Rhoades.

[tdawg87]

I understand wanting to hold on to Tropeano but he's likely the team's 4th best SP prospect right now. That isn't including Heaney. And Lind has a 137 OPS+ this year. It was 142 last year and 132 the year before that. For his career he's at 114. That is well above "average".

[OregonLAA]

Tropeano is all trade bait right now. I like him but we just have so much pitching in the minors that we could trade a few guys.

Many teams will be in on Lind so I don't know if that will be enough. We might be outbid

[Oz27]

I understand wanting to hold on to Tropeano but he's likely the team's 4th best SP prospect right now. That isn't including Heaney. And Lind has a 137 OPS+ this year. It was 142 last year and 132 the year before that. For his career he's at 114. That is well above "average".

-3.6 career 'wins above average', although that's admittedly +2.6 from 2013 onwards. I just don't feel comfortable giving Tropeano up for him, I'm pretty confident we would live to regret that one.

[tdawg87]

That's because he's terrible defensively.

[ettin]

I discussed Wilson here as part of the AW.com Trade Deadline Series: http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/2015-angels-trade-deadline-targets_27.html

As it stands today Wilson is running a 14.2% K%-BB% vs. LHH's and 11.3% K%-BB% vs. RHH's.

Teams that could use an improvement vs. LHH's include the Nationals (11.5%), Pirates (10.4%), Cardinals (10.2%), Blue Jays (10.1%), Tigers (10%), Royals (9.8%), Twins (8.3%), and Giants (6.7%).

If the Angels were willing to eat C.J.'s 2015 salary only, virtually all of those teams, except perhaps the Royals and Twins, could afford to absorb his 2016 salary.

Most of those teams don't have a readily available lead-off type that can be traded and play LF for us except the Twins (Aaron Hicks). However there is no reason that a trade couldn't turn into a 3-way deal where, for instance, we send Wilson to the Giants, the Giants send player/prospect X to a team like the Red Sox, and then the Red Sox send Jackie Bradley Jr. to us (again just an example).

Because we probably don't want to arm an American League team that we might face in the playoffs and/or play more against in the 2016 regular season, it seems a bit more likely we'd trade Wilson to the National League.

In particular the Pirates, Cardinals and Giants seem to be the most likely candidates. Looking at remaining schedule each of those three teams could start Wilson approximately 6, 7, and 7, starts, respectively, versus teams that are below average hitting against LHP.

The Angels really appear to have the advantage here because Wilson is really only one of maybe 2 or 3 lefty options in the trade market that is really effective against LHH's. Kazmir has done most of his work against RHH's this year (his K%-BB% vs. LHH's is only 9.8%!).

Cueto is effective against LHH's but his market is pretty big overall period. Perhaps only Cole Hamels is a close candidate with a 13.3% K%-BB% vs. LHH's. If David Price becomes available he would actually be the most elite option vs. LHH's out there but that yet remains to be seen.

The point is that it really appears with a hard glance that the time to sell Wilson is probably now and there are some definite buyers in need. He has certainly provided some quality innings for us this year but we have a capable replacement in Heaney.

If I were to put money down I'd say the Pirates or the Giants will go hard after Wilson. Both have a lot of salary coming off the books next year and can absorb his $20MM salary if we eat most if not all of his 2015 salary. In return we could get a nice prospect/player who could fit into our lineup. The Giants in particular are up against the Luxury Tax Threshold and would very likely want to keep budget neutral for this year.

Pirates: We trade Wilson, eat all of his 2015 salary and acquire Josh Bell, AA prospect and plug him into a platoon role in LF where he hits only against RHP for the remainder of the year.

Giants: Angels will try to a) swap for Nori Aoki where again we eat all of Wilson's 2015 salary (unlikely overall as Giants need a true lead-off as well) or b ) swap for a high-end prospect or two and involve another team in the trade where they send that acquisition possibly along with one or more of our prospects for a young cost-controlled bat to hit lead-off or in the middle of the order.

Edited July 21, 2015 by ettin

[bloodbrother]

CJ, some other stuff and a used Mike Trout jockstrap for Cueto and Bruce

[ukyah]

ben revere. if not for amaro he's an easy get and fills a need. if you get another bat great, if not he fits into the team makeup. i'd keep wilson, but i've never hated him like many.

Edited July 21, 2015 by ukyah

[bloodbrother]

I don't hate him, I just dread having him pitch in playoff games. Won't lie though, Shoe is much easier to root for so I'm cool with moving CJ for a bat and moving Shoe back to the rotation

[Mile High Dreams]

Cespedes is available now.

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

In before Alden Gonzales scolds you for ripping his content.

[SoWhat]

In before Alden Gonzales scolds you for ripping his content.

Huh?

[nikkachez]

As well they should be, especially if they're giving up young pitching. Gotta use whatever resources are left to get a third baseman, catcher, bench help, and middle relief depth in the offseason.

[Mile High Dreams]

In before Alden Gonzales scolds you for ripping his content.

 

He can scold me all he wants...I scold him on his ability to edit his articles & tweets all the time.

[AngelArcher]

I know the M's just signed him last winter, but do you think Seth Smith would be an option?