Chris Stratton 'Definitely in Shock' After Being Traded to Angels from Giants

Chris Stratton didn't anticipate being traded by the San Francisco Giants days before the start of the 2019 Major League Baseball season.

Per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, the right-handed pitcher said he was "definitely in shock" moving on from the organization that drafted him in 2012. 

The Angels announced Tuesday they acquired Stratton from the Giants in exchange for left-handed reliever Williams Jerez.

Shea noted one potential reason the Giants moved Stratton is that he's out of minor league options, which would require him to pass through waivers if he wasn't going to make San Francisco's Opening Day 25-man roster. 

Despite being surprised about the move, Stratton did sound upbeat about getting an opportunity with an Angels team that will likely offer him a better chance to start than he otherwise would have had. 

"It's definitely going to be a little weird, and it'll take some getting used to," he said. "I'm excited to hopefully be in the rotation and hit the ground running."

The Angels are currently down one starter heading into Thursday's season opener against the Oakland Athletics. Andrew Heaney battled elbow inflammation earlier in spring training before returning to throw off a mound on Monday. 

Stratton was drafted 20th overall by San Francisco in 2012 and made his big-league debut four years later. The 28-year-old set career highs in starts (26), innings (145) and strikeouts (112) last season.