The Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox have officially agreed to a three-way trade that will see Mark Trumbo move from L.A. to Phoenix, reports Nick Piecoro of AZ Central.
Mark Trumbo trade: Diamondbacks, Angels, White Sox complete 3-team trade
The first big move of the Winter Meetings has been consummated. Let the frenzy begin.
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More Trumbo to Diamondbacks rumors: Diamondbacks showing interest in OF
The Angels will send Trumbo to the Diamondbacks in exchange for starting pitchers Hector Santiago (from the White Sox) and Tyler Skaggs (from the Diamondbacks). Chicago will be receiving outfielder Adam Eaton from Arizona and two players to be named later (one from the Angels, one from the White Sox).
The players to be named later are expected to be outfielder Brandon Jacobs from the White Sox and pitcher A.J. Schugel from the Angels, per John Gambodora of KTAR 620 in Arizona. Both are eligible for Thursday's Rule 5 draft, so wouldn't be named until after then.
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The Diamondbacks have been looking for a power-hitting corner outfielder in recent weeks. They had been rumored to be in on free agent Nelson Cruz after first making a push for Carlos Beltran, who was swooped up by the Yankees. The current Arizona starting trio of Gerardo Parra, A.J. Pollock and Cody Ross are all excellent defensive players, but do not offer much with the bats.
Trumbo would fit the power role to a tee. He has launched 95 home runs over three full seasons in the major leagues, including a career-high 34 in 2013. It's not difficult to imagine him approaching 40 home runs next season. However, he does not offer much in the way of other talents. He is a mediocre defensive player at best and would need to play the outfield in Arizona with Paul Goldschmidt occupying first base. Trumbo also whiffs a lot and has gotten on base at just a .299 clip over his career. Still, power is becoming an increasingly rare commodity in baseball and Trumbo is still under control for three years.
The Angels had been hoping to shed some salary with Trumbo set to become much more expensive in his first year of arbitration eligibility. All offseason long they were hoping to acquire top young pitching, but until now had struggled to find anyone willing to meet their asking price.
Skaggs and Santiago may be better than Los Angeles could have possibly hoped for when they first put Trumbo on the trade block. Skaggs is one of MLB’s best pitching prospects and a top-10 prospect in all of baseball. He is also major league ready and can help the Angels immediately. Skaggs has made 13 starts in the majors over the past two years, but has struggled with a 5.43 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. He had his first poor minor league season in 2013 with a 4.60 ERA over 20 games. However, up until last season he had shown excellent command of his pitches and put up huge strikeout numbers.
Santiago, meanwhile, is still just 25 years old and is coming off a nice season in Chicago. Over 34 appearances (23 starts), he posted a 3.56 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, making him a contender for a spot in the back of the Angels rotation. Santiago was never a top prospect, but has shown that he can be a useful major league pitcher that can work either as a starter or as a reliever.
In return for Santiago, the White Sox are receiving Eaton, who was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 73 prospect in all of baseball last year. A good defensive player, Eaton was also a proficient base stealer in the minor leagues while showing gap power and an incredible eye at the plate with a .450 OBP over four MiLB seasons. In 66 games with the Diamondbacks in 2013, the 25-year-old hit .252/.314/.360.
Acquiring Eaton could indicate another deal is in the works for the White Sox, who already have Dayan Viciedo, Alejandro De Aza and Avisail Garcia in the outfield. With Adam Dunn playing DH, a fourth outfielder appears to be a luxury. They could seek to trade one of the four for infield help, something the team desperately needs.
Once again, here are the exact details of the trade:
Angels receive: SP Tyler Skaggs, SP Hector Santiago
Diamondbacks receive: OF/1B Mark Trumbo, 2 PTBNL
White Sox receive: OF Adam Eaton
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