Starting Pitcher Trade Targets

[halos.central]

So obviously the Angels could go after free agent starters like Corbin or Keuchel, but if neither of those options work out, what starting pitchers would you like to see them target in a trade? What players would you be willing to give or for those pitchers?

[floplag]

Whether or not its "obvious" is debatable.
I personally have other prorities in my plan.
Dont get me wrong, im not opposed, i just thin k its a luxury after other needs are filled.  SP is one thing we have a glut off if they ever manage to stay healthy

[kevinb]

We do have a glut of starting pitchers. But we have no ace among them. Ohtani is a year away and who knows how he performs when he comes back. I would prefer an ace DeGrom fits that very nicely. 

[Pancake Bear]

16 minutes ago, floplag said:

Whether or not its "obvious" is debatable.
I personally have other prorities in my plan.
Dont get me wrong, im not opposed, i just thin k its a luxury after other needs are filled.  SP is one thing we have a glut off if they ever manage to stay healthy

Starting pitching isn’t a luxury. Their lineup isn’t the issue, the issue is and has been for a long time their rotation. Until that is dealt with, they will be at best a mediocre team. The rotation is priority #1 and nothing else comes anywhere close. 

[halos.central]

18 minutes ago, floplag said:

Whether or not its "obvious" is debatable.
I personally have other prorities in my plan.
Dont get me wrong, im not opposed, i just thin k its a luxury after other needs are filled.  SP is one thing we have a glut off if they ever manage to stay healthy

I didn't mean that they were obvious targets overall, I meant that if the Angels were to go after starters then they would be the obvious ones to go after

[greginpsca]

16 minutes ago, Sean-Regan said:

Starting pitching isn’t a luxury. Their lineup isn’t the issue, the issue is and has been for a long time their rotation. Until that is dealt with, they will be at best a mediocre team. The rotation is priority #1 and nothing else comes anywhere close. 

I don’t consider any of our starters higher than a number 5 type. We have  a glut of them. But nothing better. That is why we need sp’ers.

[floplag]

17 minutes ago, Sean-Regan said:

Starting pitching isn’t a luxury. Their lineup isn’t the issue, the issue is and has been for a long time their rotation. Until that is dealt with, they will be at best a mediocre team. The rotation is priority #1 and nothing else comes anywhere close. 

WE can agree to disagree on this.  

 

16 minutes ago, halos.central said:

I didn't mean that they were obvious targets overall, I meant that if the Angels were to go after starters then they would be the obvious ones to go after

Fair enough, that i could support under those qualifications. 

[Pujols4MVP]

They need to get someone good that has their arm attached firmly.

[halomatt]

I like DeGrom as well. He definitely fits the need.   However, if he's too expensive, I'd look at Baumgarner.  The Giants are an older team and it appears they might be due for a rebuild.  A trade with the Giants might be attainable. 

With either option, I could see trading one of the current starters (Heaney,, Skaggs, Barria) as part of the package to offset the loss of prospects.  I'd imagine Barria would be the choice due to his years of control left.

[tdawg87]

It's tough because we have so many number 3 and 4 guys and that's realistically all we could get without destroying our farm system. 

I'm all for deGrom but that conversation starts with Adell and Canning and doesn't end there. We certainly have a solid system now but not nearly enough depth to soften the blow of a big time trade. 

The only guy I'd consider completely decimating our farm system for is Walker Buehler, but I don't see the Dodgers trading him.

We could make Simmons available and get a frontline-type starter, but that's risky and creates another hole. 

We're in a tough spot, pitching wise. I say we go with what we've got and just go all-in with the offense. At least for 2019. F*ck it. Sign Harper and Grandal.

[eligrba]

It is always interesting how people think the Angels have the resources to acquire top of the rotation pitchers.

The Angels are not selecting pitchers from the top shelf......look more towards the middle shelves, which is an improvement form the past.

[Stradling]

1 minute ago, eligrba said:

It is always interesting how people think the Angels have the resources to acquire top of the rotation pitchers.

The Angels are not selecting pitchers from the top shelf......look more towards the middle shelves, which is an improvement form the past.

The Angels have the money to sign the best free agent pitcher available and they have the prospects to acquire deGrom, that being said it would pretty much be the only significant trade they could make for awhile.  

[Glen]

And always remember that the Angels aren't operating in a vacuum. Other teams will be in competition to get whatever pitchers or hitters we are interested in. At best, we could get one front-line starter and one Harper or Machado. Realistically, we could end up with one or neither. And, the Mets would have to be blown away to trade deGrom.

[Second Base]

Promote Griffin Canning and watch him handle major league hitters, then decide whether or not you want to trade him for another pitcher. I'm thinking the answer will be no.

[AngelsFanSince86]

13 minutes ago, Scotty@AW said:

Promote Griffin Canning and watch him handle major league hitters, then decide whether or not you want to trade him for another pitcher. I'm thinking the answer will be no.

Well that kind of misses the point though right?  I'm sure they have their own evaluations of how well they expect him to perform at the major league level.  Obviously nobody can know for certain.  You can't test him out in the majors.  If he doesn't do well then you have eliminated most of his trade value.  You either stick with him or you trade him while he is still a prospect and his "potential" and therefore value is at its highest.  

I would have no problem with them trading Canning if he was added to a package to get a proven ace with at least 3 years of club control/contract left.  However, I would not be ok if Adell was in that package.

[floplag]

1 hour ago, eligrba said:

It is always interesting how people think the Angels have the resources to acquire top of the rotation pitchers.

The Angels are not selecting pitchers from the top shelf......look more towards the middle shelves, which is an improvement form the past.

This is precisely why i dont see SP as a priority.   Were not trading for a top guy and we likely dont have the resources to sign one in FA with other pressing needs.   WEre not addressing C, 3B and possibly RF and having enough left over to even dip our foot in that pool for anyone better than what we already have, and if were doing that whats the point. . 
We may have a roster full of 3-4s, but the fact remains we have a roster full of them.  
We have needs in other places we cant say that on.

[halomatt]

I suppose if I'm being realistic, there won't be any "ace" coming this way.  If it's a trade, it decimates the system.  If it's a free agent, the cost and age of the pitcher is burdensome. 

I would hope the Angels have learned a valuable lesson about older free agents and will not be going that way any time soon.

Stick with the kids for pitching. 

Now Machado??? Yep, if he's willing to play third and Trout is already extended, then sure. 

[Second Base]

3 hours ago, AngelsFanSince86 said:

Well that kind of misses the point though right?  I'm sure they have their own evaluations of how well they expect him to perform at the major league level.  Obviously nobody can know for certain.  You can't test him out in the majors.  If he doesn't do well then you have eliminated most of his trade value.  You either stick with him or you trade him while he is still a prospect and his "potential" and therefore value is at its highest.  

I would have no problem with them trading Canning if he was added to a package to get a proven ace with at least 3 years of club control/contract left.  However, I would not be ok if Adell was in that package.

The point is, don't package Griffin Canning in a trade in which he'll be better than the trade target in a year.  This kid has a shot at being an ace, and is more than likely a good #2/3 starter.  Now if you want to aim high and shoot for DeGrom then go ahead, just know that you're sacrificing 6 years of a #2 for 1.5 of a #1.  Not worth it in the Angels currently situation. 

And if Canning somehow struggles in his first taste of major league action, it doesn't eliminate his trade value.  That's like saying Trout's trade value was eliminated the first time he saw major league caliber pitching and sucked. 

[Angelsjunky]

If the Angels can get Corbin or deGrom, or another #1-2, then I’m all for it — within reason, that is depending upon cost of money or prospects. But a mid rotation guy? Why bother? They’ve got plenty of those already. If not a #1-2, I’d rather see Eppler look for clean peanut reclamation projects.

[Broad Street]

Shelby Miller and Sonny Gray

[Warfarin]

9 hours ago, halomatt said:

Now Machado??? Yep, if he's willing to play third and Trout is already extended, then sure. 

I would be hesitant to sign Machado.  He has been good with the Dodgers, but not a superstar.  There are definite concerns about his ability to hit outside of Baltimore.  If he is indeed a low 800 OPS-type hitter, I don't think he's worth the contract he's going to demand.

[greginpsca]

I would like to see the Angels brass sit down and evaluate other orgs pitchers in AAA & AA. If there are any of those prospects that you really like, then evaluate their org weaknesses. Then try to deal maybe a Jones, Way, Lund, etc to get a deal done to help both org's. A couple of deals like this could improve our starting rotation by 2020. That kid we got from the Astro's in the Maldonado deal is a perfect example.

[YouthofToday]

10 hours ago, halomatt said:

I suppose if I'm being realistic, there won't be any "ace" coming this way.  If it's a trade, it decimates the system.  If it's a free agent, the cost and age of the pitcher is burdensome. 

I would hope the Angels have learned a valuable lesson about older free agents and will not be going that way any time soon.

Stick with the kids for pitching. 

Now Machado??? Yep, if he's willing to play third and Trout is already extended, then sure. 

Machado likely ends up as a 1B in 3 years. I would definitely shy away from locking him up to a 8-10 year deal at $30 mill a year (likely market price). 

[YouthofToday]

3 hours ago, Kody Mac said:

Shelby Miller and Sonny Gray

Agree here. Sonny Gray would be an excellent target. 

[totdprods]

Love the Sonny Gray suggestion. Not sure what we have that NYY would be interested enough in to part with him, but he'd definitely be a great target. Happ and Sabathia are due for FA too, so they're probably better off holding onto Gray. 

Zack Wheeler: controlled only through 2019. He'll be 29 in his contract year. Eppler loves those types in trades.
29 GS, 182 IP, 3.31 ERA, 3.25 FIP, 111 ERA+, 1.12 WHIP 
In the first half, 18 GS, he posted a 4.44 ERA. 
In the second half, 11 GS, he posted a 1.68 ERA. 

Dylan Bundy: controlled through '21, only 26 in 2019
31 GS, 171 IP, 5.45 ERA, 5.17 FIP, 76 ERA+. 1.41 WHIP
First 14 GS: 84 IP, 95 K, 3.66 ERA, .235 BAA
Last 17 GS: 88 IP, 89 K, 7.16 ERA, .309 BAA

Jose Urena: controlled through 2021, only 27 in 2019
31 GS, 174 IP, 3.98 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 91 ERA+, 1.18 WHIP
In the first half, 19 GS, he posted a 4.39 ERA in 109 IP
In the second half, 12 GS, he posted a 3.31 ERA in 65 IP

Tanner Roark: controlled only through 2019, he'll be 32 in his walk year.
30 GS, 180 IP, 4.34 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 98 ERA+, 1.28 WHIP
In the first half, 14 GS with a 5.24 ERA
In the second half, 16 GS, 100 IP with a 3.61 ERA
Eppler has traded for Escobar and Espinosa from Washington in the past, also in their walk years.
If Bryce goes elsewhere, they might take a year or so to re-tool.

Jakob Junis: controlled through 2023, he'll be 26 in 2019.
30 GS, 177 IP, 4.42 ERA, 4.64 FIP, 97 ERA+, 1.28 WHIP
In the first half, 17 GS with a 5.13 ERA. 
In the second half, 13 GS with a 3.46 ERA. 

Aaron Sanchez: controlled through 2020, he'll be 26 in 2019.
20 GS, 105 IP, 4.89 ERA, 4.74 FIP, 86 ERA+, 1.56 WHIP
Marcus Stroman could also be a target, but they'd be selling extremely low, much more so than Sanchez. 

Julio Teheran: controlled through 2019, he'll be 28 in 2019, his walk year.
31 GS, 176 IP, 3.94 ERA, 4.83 FIP, 102 ERA+, 1.17 WHIP
Eppler has a history dealing with Atlanta, and while Teheran may not seem like someone they'd part with, he is a pending FA, which Eppler usually targets, and they have plenty of SP behind him on the farm.

Robbie Ray: controlled through 2020, he'll be 27 in 2019.
24 GS, 124 IP, 3.93 ERA, 4.31 FIP, 110 ERA+, 1.35 WHIP, 11.8 K/9 last three seasons
With the Diamondbacks possibly losing Corbin and Pollock, much like Washington, they may look to re-stock the farm and treat next year as a transition.