Once the Tampa Bay Rays signed middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera it was believed the team was going to trade second baseman Ben Zobrist. Not much as developed since, but the Los Angeles Angels look like a fitting destination for the longtime Ray.
The Angels traded second baseman Howie Kendrick to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for left-hander Andrew Heaney earlier in December and then filled the void at the position by trading for Colorado Rockies second baseman Josh Rutledge. However, the 25-year-old Rutledge has minimal professional experience, having played in only 266 games over the past three seasons.
According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Angels are seriously pursuing Zobrist, along with the San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. Tampa Bay is reportedly asking for one top prospect and one mid-level prospect in return, which could further narrow down those interested because Zobrist is only under contract for 2015 at $7.5 million. In the competitive AL West, the Angels are going to need all the help they can get and Zobrist would drastically improve their infield (and can also be used at shortstop or in the outfield in the event something were to occur).
Los Angeles has about $122 million committed to the 2015 payroll, but that number is expected to increase to around $144 million once they settle contract issues with their arbitration-eligible players, according to Baseball Reference. They want to remain under the $189 million luxury tax threshold and acquiring Zobrist at $7.5 million would leave them with more than enough room.
"The Angels, right now, essentially have a tryout camp at second base," said Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times on MLB Tonight. "They traded Kendrick, who was their cleanup hitter down the stretch last year and are looking at guys like Johnny Giovatella, Josh Rutledge, Grant Green, Taylor Featherston ... maybe they bring back Gordon Beckham. Zobrist as a second baseman every day for the Angels would be a good fit on a one-year contract. I know they'll look into it but I don't know if they'll be able to make a deal."
The 33-year-old Zobrist is the longest tenured member of the Tampa Bay Rays, having been with the team for the past nine seasons. However, they're looking to reduce payroll after owner Stuart Sternberg said that would be a priority heading into 2015. It's possible Sternberg sells the team since the Tampa Bay City Council rejected the Rays' request to search for a new stadium site in the city.
Zobrist owns a career stat line of .264/.354/.429 with 114 home runs, 511 RBIs and 102 stolen bases.
