The Los Angeles Angels have shown a willingness to discuss trading either 1B/OF Mark Trumbo or OF Peter Bourjos in return for young starting pitching, reports Buster Olney of ESPN.
Angels could trade Mark Trumbo or Peter Bourjos
Both players could be attractive to other teams as the Angels look for cost-controlled starting pitching.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
More Angels: Pitchers with similar WAR to Mark Trumbo
Los Angeles has been vocal about their desire to acquire cost-controlled starters. Jason Vargas is a free agent this offseason while Jerome Williams and Joe Blanton were mostly ineffective in 2013. So was Tommy Hanson, when he was healthy. Garrett Richards may stick as a back-end starter. That leaves the team with Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson at the top of the rotation, and a mess behind them.
A poor farm system means the Angels have very little relief coming up the pipeline, as well. The team's lone top pitching prospect, Nick Maronde, pitched solely out of the bullpen in 2013.
Both Trumbo and Bourjos could be very attractive pieces in a trade. In three full seasons, Trumbo has already hit 95 home runs and does not look to be slowing down anytime soon. However, he is not great defensively nor does he get on base well with a career .299 OBP. That could limit the upside of any players Los Angeles would get in return.
Bourjos, on the other hand, is regarded as one of the best defensive outfielders in the league. However, his bat leaves much to be desired. He has a career 704 OPS, though his speed could allow him to put up nice stolen base numbers in a full season. He played in just 55 games in 2013 due to a myriad of injuries.
Both players are just hitting arbitration for the first time this offseason and are set to become more expensive. With a number of bloated contracts on the roster, a trade could also help the Angels shed some payroll.
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