Los Angeles Angels Offseason Tracker: Hottest Free Agency News, Trade Rumors
Despite posting the best record in baseball (98-64), and the third-best mark in franchise history, the Los Angeles Angels were unable to deliver on that regular-season success, getting swept in three games by the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series.
With nearly every key member of the team under contract for 2015, general manager Jerry Dipoto figures to have a far less active offseason than he has in recent years.
That said, you can be sure that the Angels will be looking to improve the roster, perhaps by adding another established starting pitcher to the mix.
Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Angels, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as October 31, simply click to the next slide to see the latest from the rumor mill as the club tweaks its roster for 2015.
Los Angeles' Free Agents and Done Deals
1 of 7
All the juicy rumors and analysis follow, but consider this your one-stop shop for all the comings and goings in Los Angeles this winter, including the status of the team's own free agents.
Done Deals
Nov. 4: Signed IF/OF Roberto Baldoquin (Analysis)
Nov. 5: Traded C Hank Conger to Houston for C Carlos Perez and RHP Nick Tropeano
Nov. 5: Traded RHP Mark Sappington to Tampa Bay for LHP Cesar Ramos
Nov. 7: Signed RHP Jeremy McBryde to a major league deal
Dec. 3: Re-signed RHP Yoslan Herrera to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training
Dec. 8: Claimed 1B/OF Marc Krauss off waivers from the Houston Astros
Dec. 9: Acquired C Drew Butera from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for IF/OF Matt Long
Dec. 10: Signed LHP Scott Snodgrass to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training
Dec. 11: Traded 2B Howie Kendrick to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for LHP Andrew Heaney
Dec. 11: Acquired INF Josh Rutledge from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for RHP Jairo Diaz
Dec. 16: Traded RHP Kevin Jepsen to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for DH/OF Matt Joyce
Dec. 19: Traded RHP Brian Broderick to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for IF Johnny Giavotella
Angels Free Agents
IF Gordon Beckham (Dec. 2: Non-tendered)
OF Brennan Boesch
C John Buck
RP Sean Burnett (Oct. 30: Angels declined $4.5 million team option, paid $500,000 buyout)
RP Jason Grilli
RHP Yoslan Herrera (Dec. 2: Non-tendered, Dec. 3: Re-signed)
LHP Wade LeBlanc (Dec. 2: Non-tendered, Dec. 12: Signed with the Seibu Lions in Japan)
IF John McDonald
RP Huston Street (Oct. 30: Angels picked up $7 million team option)
RP Joe Thatcher
Dec. 11: Angels Trade Howie Kendrick to Dodgers
2 of 7
The Los Angeles Angels have traded second baseman Howie Kendrick to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for left-hander Andrew Heaney, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
Kendrick hit .293 with seven home runs, 33 doubles and five triples in 2014. The 31-year-old had spent his entire nine-year career with the Angels and had a career slash line of .292/.332/.424.
The Angels had been considering trading Kendrick—and his $9.5 million salary for 2015—in order to shed some salary. The Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin tweeted that the Dodgers will take on all of Kendrick's salary.
Kendrick was set to become a free agent after next season, and this trade allowed them to clear some payroll and acquire a player who could be a big part of the team in the future.
Heaney started the day as the Miami Marlins' top prospect, according to MLB.com. However, he was dealt to the Dodgers in a trade that sent second baseman Dee Gordon to Miami.
As it turns out, that wasn't the end of a crazy day for Heaney.
The 23-year-old doesn’t have a ton experience of pitching in the majors, as he is still searching for his first big-league win. He went 0-3 with a 5.83 ERA in seven games (five starts) with the Marlins in 2014.
In a small sample size, he has had some rough splits. Right-handed batters hit .309 with six home runs off him in seven games in the majors; left-handed hitters hit just .212 and did not hit a single home run off the southpaw.
The left-hander posted a 3.28 ERA in 24 games (23 starts) between Double-A and Triple-A this year and has a 2.77 ERA in three years in the minors.
Heaney was drafted ninth overall by the Marlins in the 2012 draft.
The Angels needed some pitching depth, especially as Garrett Richards continues to work his way back from injury. The club had a player who was set to become a free agent after next season, so it found a way to flip him and acquire a player who still had plenty of club control left.
Dec. 11: Acquired INF Josh Rutledge from the Rockies
3 of 7
The Los Angeles Angels have acquired infielder Josh Rutledge from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jairo Diaz, per the team's Twitter account.
Rutledge hit .269 with four home runs, 16 doubles and seven triples in 105 games in 2014. This year, the right-handed hitting infielder has hit .309 against southpaws and .254 against right-handers. He has a career slash line of .259/.308/.403 in parts of three seasons in the majors.
Los Angeles has to be hoping that Rutledge can learn how to hit away from Coors Field. In his career, he has a .287 average at Coors Field and a .230 average away from Colorado.
The 25-year-old can play second, third and shortstop. Right before the Angels made this deal, they traded second baseman Howie Kendrick. Acquiring Rutledge gives the club a cheaper option for second base.
Rutledge is under club control through the 2018 season.
.png?w=256)
Angels Are on the Hunt for Infield Reinforcements
4 of 7
Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 9:15 a.m. ET
The Angels want to bolster their infield depth, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez and have targeted Boston's Brock Holt, Colorado's Josh Rutledge and Minnesota's Eduardo Escobar as potential additions.
Holt is the least likely of the three to be added, as Gonzalez says the Red Sox want too much in return.
Rutledge, 25, hit .269 with 27 extra-base hits (4 HR), 33 RBI and a .728 OPS over 105 games for the Rockies in 2014, and is a career .259 hitter that primarily plays second base and shortstop.
Escobar, 25, hit .275 with 43 extra-base hits (6 HR), 37 RBI and a .721 OPS as the Twins primary shortstop in 2014. A career .255 hitter, he has experience playing second base and third base as well. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press opines that a Vinnie Pestano-for-Escobar deal could work for both clubs.
Is C.J. Wilson Available?
5 of 7
Update: Monday, Dec. 8 at 7:58 p.m. ET
When asked by MLB.com's Bill Shaikin about the team's decision to put C.J. Wilson on the trade block, GM Jerry DiPoto shot the rumor down. "We haven't discussed CJ Wilson at all," DiPoto said, indicating that he's neither called teams nor received calls from teams about the veteran left-hander.
--End of Update--
Monday, Dec. 8 at 12:13 p.m. ET
The Angels have put C.J. Wilson on the trade block, rival GMs tell CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, but thus far interest around the game has been lukewarm at best.
Wilson, 34, is coming off his worst season as a full-time starter, pitching to a 4.51 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 175.2 innings of work, failing to crack the 200-inning plateau for the first time since 2010.
The problem in moving Wilson is three-fold: Not only is his production down, but he's due $38 million over the next two years, money that the Angels have no intention of picking up to facilitate a deal.
Also, in case you hadn't noticed, the market is saturated with starting pitching at the moment, much of it younger, better and/or less expensive than Wilson. Should the Angels be able to move him, it could free up enough cash for them to make a run at one of the high-profile starters on the market.
Nov. 4: Angels Sign IF/OF Roberto Baldoquin
6 of 7There's not much out there on Cuban infielder Roberto Baldoquin, but the Angels apparently think he's a keeper, as MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports that the club has signed the 20-year-old Cuban infielder to a deal that includes an $8 million signing bonus.
Due to his age and relative inexperience—he played three years in Cuba's top league, Serie Nacional, for Las Tunas, Baldoquin falls under MLB's relatively new international signing rules. Not only is the $8 million bonus the highest ever given to a player under the current rules, it's significant for another reason, as Sanchez notes:
"The Angels’ bonus pool total for this year’s signing period is $2,383,700, and because they are expected to exceed the pool by 15 percent or more with the Baldoquin signing, the club will not be allowed to sign a player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods and will have to pay a 100-percent tax on the pool overage.
"
While scouting reports on Baldoquin are nearly impossible to find—he didn't make Baseball America's top 15 Cuban Prospects list in August or its top 10 in November as either a ranked prospect or a name to watch—you can be sure that he's going to need time in the minor leagues before he's major league ready.
This will be updated with a more detailed scouting report as more information becomes available.
Angels Have Little Cash to Improve the Roster
7 of 7
After you factor in already budgeted raises for many of the team's established stars and salary increases through arbitration for those who are eligible, Angels GM Jerry Dipoto isn't left with much spending cash this winter.
About $10 million is all he's got, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez, who notes that the $189 million luxury tax threshold is essentially the team's spending cap, as owner Arte Moreno doesn't want to go over it.
"We'll continue to find more ways to create more depth on the pitching staff," Dipoto told Gonzalez. "The bench part of our team—that ninth to 13th, even 15th player‚ is going to be a focus of our offseason."
For those Angels fans hoping that the team would make a big splash this winter, perhaps shocking baseball by making a strong push for one of the top starting pitchers on the market, it seems as if they'll be disappointed in the end result.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
