The big question that had been swirling around the league the past couple of weeks was if the Angels were going to choose to be buyers or sellers during this year's trade deadline. After their monumental move acquiring Lucas Giolito from the Chicago White Sox, it is clear that the Angels have determined that they will be buyers and remain highly competitive until October.
Late last night, the Angels finalized a deal to acquire starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox for two prospects. Giolito adds to a young Angels pitching rotation that is lead by Shohei Ohtani but has not received as much production from the others.
Giolito was one of the top arms on the market this deadline, being arguably the ace of the White Sox pitching staff, has some postseason experience, and is a former all-star. Adding that type of experience to this Angels ball club is exactly what they need if they are serious about playing baseball in October.
The Angels have been hot in their last 8 games, winning 7 of them, but they still stand multiple games out of the last AL wild card spot and in 3rd place in the AL West. A lot is going to need to change and go in their direction if they want any shot at their first postseason licks since 2014.
I spoke about it in my last blog and was highly confident on the fact that the Angels should have approached this deadline as sellers. From where they currently stand it is going to be an uphill climb to get to where they want to be in a very tough American League. Obviously, the Angels front office does not want to give up on their team midway through the season and that is why they made this deal.
They are basically saying to the rest of the league that the Angels are here and not going anywhere. But one move isn't going to change the trajectory of an entire team so I expect more moves to be made from the Angels by next Tuesday.
This move does pose as a major risk for the Halos as well. It could very well mean that instead of receiving a major package in return for Shohei Ohtani this season, that they lose the Japanese superstar in the offseason and get nothing in return. There's no appropriate price to put on one of the best players, if not the best, this sport has ever seen, but something is much better than nothing.
It's no secret that the Angels pitching has been their soft spot this season as they sit in the bottom half of the league in a number of different pitching stats. Adding Giolito and Lopez is certainly going to help both the bullpen and starting rotation, but their main focus for the rest of the deadline should be to acquire more quality arms to pair with them. Their offense has not been the problem so it shouldn't really be touched, but adding a bat or two wouldn't hurt them.
One thing that the Angels have struggled with mightily in recent history has been their injury problems. Currently their top two highest paid players have been on the IL for some time along with other quality bats and arms as well. The front office certainly is looking at the perspective that these guys will come back at some point and positively contribute to the team along with the acquisitions being made now before the deadline.
On paper, the Angels look good and just got even better, but recent history tells us that the Angels could look great on paper, but they haven't played October baseball in 9 years. The foot should remain heavily on the pedal and the Angels should keep buying and once everyone else gets healthy, the Angels believe they have a real shot at getting somewhere in 2023.
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