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Jose Iglesias Traded to Angels from Orioles for Jean Pinto, Garrett Stallings
December 3, 2020
Baltimore Orioles infielder Jose Iglesias is headed to the Los Angeles Angels, the Angels announced Wednesday.
In exchange, the Orioles acquired two right-handed pitching prospects from L.A.—Jean Pinto and Garrett Stallings—according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Iglesias, who signed with the Orioles in free agency before last season, hit .373/.400/.556 in 142 at-bats over 39 games.
The team picked up a $3.5 million option for the shortstop earlier this month, when Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias spoke highly of the 30-year-old to reporters:
"It was not a difficult decision. Jose was tremendous for us in a very limited period of time, but he's got a track record dating back beyond that. I think he's a perfect fit for what we need right now. I think if he had not had the quad strain that he had, I think he would've been in the MVP conversation last year for the 60-game season had he played a lot of shortstop."
Prior to joining the Orioles, Iglesias spent four-and-a-half seasons with the Detroit Tigers, where he was named an All-Star in 2015. He was dealt to Detroit from Boston in 2013 but missed the 2014 season with stress fractures in both shins.
The addition of Iglesias in Los Angeles comes as the team is preparing for the possibility of a future without four-time Gold Glove Award winner Andrelton Simmons, who is now a free agent after five years with the Angels.
Pinto and Stallings will fit into a Baltimore farm system that was ranked eighth in the league in pitching by MiLB.com in February. Stallings, a fifth-round pick in 2019, was ranked by MLB.com as the No. 21 prospect in the Angels system. He earned a non-roster invitation to spring training in July and was assigned to the team's alternate training site.
Pinto, 19, is not ranked and pitched 12 innings through three games in the Dominican Summer League in 2019.