In the last week the Los Angeles Angels acquired starting pitcher Andrew Heaney from the Los Angeles Dodgers and outfielder Matt Joyce from the Tampa Bay Rays. Do these acquisitions imply the Angels are looking to shed salary through other trades?
The arrival of Heaney and Joyce might suggest the Angels are trying to trade starting pitcher C.J. Wilson and outfielder Josh Hamilton - both of whom were rumored to be involved in trade talks. Heaney, a 23-year-old starter, was acquired in exchange for second baseman Howie Kendrick. The youngster has only seven big league appearances, but should have a chance to join the team's starting rotation because of numerous pitching issues.
Wilson is part of those issues. Although he was hampered by injuries last season, the left-hander was 13-10 with a 4.51 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 31 starts (175 2/3 innings). It was by far his worst year as a starter and the Angels are perhaps worried because he's owed $38 million over the next two seasons. Over a week ago, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com said Los Angeles "got some hits" on Wilson, but would have to pay off some of his contract if a trade were agreed upon.
However, general manager Jerry Dipoto told the Los Angeles Times that such trade rumors were false and the team finds Wilson "to be an asset, even coming off what has been his worst year as a starting pitcher." But that was before the team dumped Kendrick's $9.5 million salary for 2015 to acquire Heaney. Nonetheless, it's been rumored the team is looking to reduce payroll to avoid hitting the luxury tax and/or chase after a big name starting pitcher such as Max Scherzer or James Shields. Wilson is owed $18.5 million in 2015 and concerns regarding the performance of Hector Santiago and health of Garrett Richards might prompt the Angels to explore trade options for Wilson to provide salary relief and look to bolster the rotation with young talent or a top free agent.
As for Hamilton, he's earning the highest annual salary on the team in 2015. He's been the most recent subject of trade rumors likely because he's owed over $90 million over the next three seasons and has been largely unimpressive based on his past performances and salary. He's batting just .255/.316/.426 with 31 home runs and 123 RBIs in 240 games with the Angels, which are poor numbers for a player of his caliber, on top of him being in a lineup full of exceptional hitters.
The team acquired outfielder Matt Joyce from the Rays on Tuesday and he's expected to earn around $5 million next season as he enters another year of arbitration eligibility. Later that day, the Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres spoke to the Angels about Hamilton's availability, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. However, such a trade would require the Angels to eat a lot of his salary, which is something sources said the team is not willing to do. Hamilton's stock is way down after the past two seasons and it's going to be difficult for the Angels to shed his salary and get what they want in return. Rosenthal noted the talks were "exploratory" and "did not gain traction."
"It could be the end of Hamilton as an elite slugging outfielder. In 2008, Hamilton led all of baseball with 130 RBIs, and in his MVP season of 2010, Hamltion hit .359 had a slugging percentage of .633 and an OPS of 1.044," writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas.
The Padres acquired Wil Myers from the Rays yesterday and a source said the Rangers acquiring Hamilton is "out of the question." So while the Angels might be looking to get rid of him, it really might not be possible, unless the Orioles, Reds, Mariners or other club in need of a corner outfielder is willing to take a gamble on the slugger for the right price. It doesn't look like Hamilton would be a hot commodity based on the multitude of cost-effective transactions this offseason.
