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Aroldis Chapman, Yovani Gallardo and the Latest AL West Trade Rumors

By Josh Sippie

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Aroldis Chapman

Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has indicated that the Astros are not done in the trade market, as they look to add a flamethrower to the bullpen, despite having Josh Fields already. Evan Drellich quotes Luhnow as saying “The one guy we’re probably missing is the flamethrower guy.” 

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When you think flamethrowers in the MLB, obviously the first thought is Aroldis Chapman. However, reports indicate that his price is far too much and despite the Reds looking to offload some serious talent, they may not be interested in moving their closer.

There are plenty of other stereotypical hard-ballers available if Chapman is too much for the ‘Stros.

Yovani Gallardo

Jon Heyman indicates that the Rangers will trade Yovani Gallardo and possibly Colby Lewis too. What once seemed like a promising season has quickly dwindled as the Rangers are inching closer to becoming sellers. Gallardo will most likely go to a National league team, Heyman writes, as he has some prowess from the plate as well.

Moving such intricate pieces of their starting rotation would indicate that the white flag has been thrown in by the Rangers, as they bow our of the AL West race.

Conor Gillaspie

Speaking of the AL West race, the Los Angeles Angels are suddenly the prime contenders as they have managed to not only catch the red hot Astros but pass them as well. However, with David Freese going to the DL, the Angels needed a third baseman and quickly scooped up the recently-designated Conor Gillaspie as a short-term fix.

Jay Bruce

Staying on topic with the Angels, they are also in the market for a powerful bat, and Jay Bruce looks to be their guy. Bruce has had moments of living up to the expectations heaped on him but has largely fallen short of the grade.

That being said, Bruce is still in the midst of a pretty solid year, as he is hitting .251 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs. A nice change of scenery could augment those stats even more as playing on a contending team tends to give renewed purpose.

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Carlos Gonzalez

Despite getting off to an abysmal start, Cargo has leveled himself out and is maintaining respectable numbers. The Angels are in need of a bat, but reports indicate that they are not at all interested in Carlos Gonzalez.

The team that should be interested in Gonzalez is the AL West upstart Houston Astros, who are looking to add a corner outfield bat to their arsenal for the playoff push. The Astros have a massive array of outfield talent, but if you really get down to it, only George Springer has been consistent, and he is hurt. Preston Tucker is not the best fielder but his offense makes up for it. Colby Rasmus and Jake Marisnick are as hot and cold as they come and L.J. Hoes lacks any real upside.

Carlos Gonzalez would give the Astros a massive offensive and defensive boost. Plus he strikes out a lot so he would fit right in.

Next: Was Scott Kazmir Really worth it?

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