The Los Angeles Angels ended their saga with outfielder Josh Hamilton and traded him to the Texas Rangers over a week ago. Manager Mike Scioscia's club is 11-15 and may need to upgrade the outfield as the season progresses. Trade rumors are likely to surround the team until they improve.
General manager Jerry Dipoto told MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez that he isn't ready to "hit the panic button" after the team's offense struggled in the first month of the season, but Gonzalez suggests Los Angeles could make a trade to upgrade the left field position following Hamilton's departure.
Matt Joyce has taken the reigns in left as Hamilton missed time recovering from shoulder surgery and endured a battle with the organization after he admitted to suffering a relapse with drugs and alcohol this offseason. Dipoto traded for Joyce in the offseason, and although it seemed like a prudent move to improve outfield depth, the veteran has been a disappointment thus far. He's batting .148/.195/.222 with three runs scored, one home run and seven RBIs in 24 games.
But Joyce isn't the only problem. The Angels rank 22nd in the MLB in runs scored (97) and 29th in OPS (.632), which have them seven games behind the first-place Houston Astros.
As a result, ESPN Insider Jim Bowden thinks he has a solution for the ailing Angels, which is bound to spur trade rumors.
"The Angels must get a bat, even if they have to trade from their starting pitching strength to make it happen," he wrote last week.
"The Angels could match up with the Rockies in this swap, as Colorado is loaded with outfield talent, including Corey Dickerson, Charlie Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez ... Of the group, Gonzalez would be the best fit for the Angels. The fact that he is off to a slow start and is due close to $50 million through 2017 -- still an affordable contract for the Angels and significant savings for the Rockies -- make it a good match for both teams."
The Rockies could opt to be sellers before the trade deadline considering they've lost 11 of their last 15, rank 21st in runs scored (99) and last in ERA (5.08). They're in a familiar spot in terms of their team ERA, which was at the bottom of the league last season, but their lack of run production is uncharacteristic after they finished last season ranked third. General manager Jeff Bridich may decide to part way with Gonzalez as well as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, both of whom comprise an enormous percentage of the team's payroll, to begin rebuilding. The Angels could also provide them with some young starting pitching in a potential trade.
It's still way too early to tell what deals may go down in the coming months, but if things continue as they are this would seemingly be a good match for both clubs.
