Angels Rumors: Writer Thinks LA Should Trade Jo Adell for This Young Shortstop
The Angels' roster is almost set heading into the 2023 season. Angels general manager Perry Minasian, however, said he's continuing to look for upgrades, potentially both on the pitching side and the hitting side.
One area on the hitting side that could still use a little more stability is the shortstop position. The Angels have tons of players who could man that position from Luis Rengifo to David Fletcher to Brandon Drury to Gio Urshela. However, Drury and Urshela are expected to play all over the diamond, as is Rengifo. And Fletcher isn't exactly the safest option for an everyday shortstop.
One position group that is fully locked in is the outfield. Mike Trout, Taylor Ward and Hunter Renfroe will be the starters, and Brett Phillips will be the fourth outfielder on the bench. That means, former first-round picks Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak are likely to start the season in Triple-A.
There's no guarantee either get playing time in the majors this season, however, if they're playing well, and injuries start to pile up, they'll for sure get their opportunities.
But, as the season nears, if the Angels wanted to fill one of their holes on the major league roster, they could look to move one of those guys. And Zachary D. Rymer at Bleacher Report has just the trade proposal.
"Los Angeles Angels get SS Jorge Mateo; Baltimore Orioles get LF/RF Jo Adell"
Here's a part of his reasoning:
"A one-for-one swap would give the Angels a speedy defensive-wiz shortstop with club control through 2025, while the Orioles would be getting a big-time lottery ticket whose club control runs all the way through 2027."
Mateo is a great defensive shortstop, but has struggled at the plate over the course of his three-year career. Last season, Mateo hit just .221 with 13 home runs, 50 RBIs and 25 doubles as the Orioles full-time shortstop. However, his best attribute outside of his defense is his speed. Last year, he stole an American-League best 35 bases, and was tied-for-second in all of baseball with seven triples.
In 149 games at shortstop, Mateo had an incredible 14 defensive runs saved above average. He would definitely solidify the defense up the middle for Anaheim.
The only question is if it's worth it for the Angels to sell low on Adell for a a below-average hitting shortstop. Their lineup does have more than enough talent elsewhere, but Mateo as the full-time shortstop would shift one of their better bats to the bench.
I don't see this trade happening, but I could see why Rymer pitched at as a potential good move. But I see it much more likely that the Angels' hitting side of the roster is already finalized ahead of Opening Day, and we see a lot more Drury and Urshela at shortstop than the team is letting on.
