Los Angeles Angels
While everyone would like to get their hands on Mike Trout, and there are always discussions about what he would cost in trade to pry him from the Angels, there have been no official overtures from the Angels that they’re even listening on Trout, let alone seriously considering moving their franchise icon.
The Angels organization in general is a tough one, as the team has long-term, fairly expensive contracts on the offensive side, and while there’s depth in their pitching, they lack the front-end guys, so they don’t want to hurt their depth by removing what they DO have.
In spite of that, the Angels will certainly be fielding plenty of inquiries on the guy who eventually took over at the back of their bullpen last season. Blake Parker ended the season with 14 saves to lead the team, but overall he had an excellent year.
The 33-year-old pitched in 67 games, tossing 66 1/3 innings, with a 3.26 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 19/70 BB/K ratio. That follows a season where Parker posted a 2.54 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in 67 1/3 innings for the Angels with a 16/86 BB/K ratio.
Parker’s journeyman status means that he’s never really established himself and is just in his 2nd year of arbitration, currently projected to receive $3.1 million, which is a very reasonable sum compared to what is likely to be handed out on the free agent market. Financially, he could be a very good deal for an acquiring team.
For the Angels, they’re already playing with house money on Parker, having picked up the pitcher on waivers before the 2017 season, so if they can turn that wise move into a few key future pieces, that’d be a great return, even if it meant taking a piece out of their current bullpen.