Baseball’s Winter Meetings are underway in Orlando, and one team that may be willing to make a splash in the trade market is the Los Angeles Angels.
According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the chances of the Angels moving first baseman Mark Trumbo are “increasing.”
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ESPN’s Buster Olney also weighed in on Trumbo’s value.
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Trumbo, 27, led the Angels with 34 home runs in 2013, while also adding 100 RBIs, 145 hits and 30 doubles. However, his batting average (.233) and on-base percentage (.294) were disappointing, and he also struck out 184 times, which was 26 more than any other Angels player. He also batted just .218 after the All-Star break, which hurt the Angels in their attempt to compete for a Wild Card playoff berth late in the season.
If Los Angeles decides to move Trumbo, it would be surprising if a quality starting pitcher wasn’t involved in the deal. Outside of a formidable 1-2 punch in Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, the Angels’ starting rotation lacks top-tier talent and depth. Los Angeles ranked 11th in ERA (4.23), 14th in batting average against (.261) and 11th in strikeouts (1,200) among the 15 American League clubs during the 2013 campaign.
For the Angels to challenge the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics in a competitive AL West division, they must bolster their pitching staff in the offseason.
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Thumbnail photo via @MLB.
