Angels Pitching: Help Us Jake Peavy, You're Our Only Hope

The Angels have to go after a starting pitcher, plain and simple.

There is no debating, no questioning, and no “taking phone calls,” as Angels general managers love to do. Now is the time to make a move.

Hard throwing right-hander Kelvim Escobar hasn't started a game since 2007. Last year, any hope of his return mid-season was dashed when irritation in his elbow forced him into surgery.

Currently, Escobar is in the midst of a brilliant recovery in spring training and well on his way back to the mound at the Big A, but not until the end of April at the earliest.

Hole number one.

Ervin Santana had hopes of repeating his breakout all-star year in 2008. But a sore elbow has pushed the young flame-thrower to the disabled list with no timetable for his return.

Manager Mike Scioscia says Santana should be able to return about the same time as Escobar.

Hole number two.

Now, staff ace John Lackey, a dominant presence in the American League, will start the season on the disabled list with soreness in his forearm, forcing him to miss at least two starts, including Opening Day.

Hole number three.

Yes, with just one week left until the start of the regular season, a full three-fifths of the Angels' stellar starting pitching rotation is on the mend.

I suppose it could be worse: Vlad Guerrero's car could drive off the 57 Freeway while he's giving Torrie Hunter a ride to the game.

So what are the Angels to do?

Their minor league system is absolutely packed with talent at every conceivable position, and with six major leaguers hunting for four outfield/designated hitter jobs, surely a trade package must be in the works.

Gary Matthews Jr., Brandon Wood, and Nick Adenhart for San Diego Padres starter Jake Peavy sounds fair. The Padres get a talented, veteran center fielder, a power-hitting infielder, and a young pitching prospect with nowhere to go but up.

And in return, the Angels show they are not afraid to make a move that means something.

Fans and media personalities alike were in a tizzy when Mark Teixeira was shipped to Anaheim last season, but guys like Lyle Spencer, who covers the Angels for MLB.com, know the trade was all flash and no substance.

Tex performed just fine, but the move itself was unnecessary and ill-advised. The Angels gave up a talented young first baseman in Casey Kotchman for a mercenary who's impact was non-existent in the playoffs and who bolted to the East Coast at the first sign of pinstripes.

Trading for Peavy—or even going after a free agent like Pedro Martinez, who used the World Baseball Classic as an audition tape—would show the Angels have the wisdom to recognize their limitations and the confidence to address them.

Instead, the organization is looking internally to fill the massive holes in the starting rotation.

It's like trying to fill a swimming pool with an eye-dropper: there's just not enough to get the job done.

When the Angels open their season on April 6, the starting rotation will likely be: Joe Saunders, Jered Weaver, Dustin Moseley, Nick Adenhart, and Shane Loux.

As it stands, the No. 1 and No. 2 spots are still strong. Saunders lead the team with a 3.41 ERA last season en route to his first All-Star appearance, and Weaver has been solid since joining the majors in 2006.

Moseley, Adenhart, and Loux, however, are not so reliable.

Moseley began the 2008 season in the starting rotation, filling in for an injured Lackey. Sound familiar?

In his first four starts, he accrued a plus-7 ERA, giving up runs in every conceivable manner, from endless strings of hits to a booming grand slam in the Angels' home opener against the Texas Rangers.

When the Angels could take no more, they turned to Adenhardt, a 21-year-old minor league sensation, to fill the fifth slot in the rotation.

And that's when things got really bad.

After pitching lights-out in the minors and being touted as the Angels' next rookie phenom, Adenhart gave up 12 runs in 12 innings of work spread over just three games. By then, Lackey had returned and Adenhart was sent back to the minors, but the damage had been done.

His confidence shot, Adenhart finished the season at Triple-A with a 5.76 ERA—hardly representative of his career 3.87 ERA in the minors.

So far this spring, he's posted a 3.26 ERA and seems to be back on his game. But the regular season is a whole different animal.

Similarly, Loux made his first appearance in an Angels uniform in 2008 as well. In 16 innings of work he posted a 2.81 ERA with a minuscule1.125 WHIP.

However, those number were acquired as a reliever only.

Loux pitched in seven games for the Angels last season, but never as a starter. His last start in the majors came with the Detroit Tigers...in 2003.

That's not to say he doesn't have what it takes, but the guy clearly needs some experience before he gets shoved out onto the big stage. Let him spend a month or two in the bullpen, if only to get acclimated to major league hitters.

Having confidence in your young prospects is fine, but never forget that they are still prospects.

The Angels are risking their season by asking guys like Adenhart and Loux to take over as starting pitchers for no less than a month.

True, the team survived last year's early injuries, but that was one vacant slot.

Alone, the destruction done by any of these replacements is manageable. Together however, the damage could spread all the way to October.

The Angels must look for a new starter outside the organization or risk losing any hope of a shot at the playoffs.