Los Angeles Angels Bolster Infield With Trade for Yunel Escobar

The Los Angeles Angels went through most of last season with Johnny Giavotella and David Freese as half of their infield and it didn’t work out. With that in mind, new general manager Billy Eppler orchestrated a deal with the Washington Nationals on Thursday to acquire infielder Yunel Escobar. Escobar is coming off of a career year with the Nationals where he hit .314 with a .375 OBP, nine home runs and 56 RBIs as he was one of the lone bright spots for the team.

With Escobar in the fold, the Angels gain an experienced player who can play shortstop, third base and second base plus give the lineup a shot in the arm. It was a brilliant deal by Eppler because the Angels gain a lot of versatility with an everyday player while trading away Trevor Gott who is a reliever that finished 2015 with a 4-2 record, 3.02 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 48 appearances. The Angels have a lot more depth in the bullpen than in the infield and used that to their advantage.

Eppler’s next course of action should be to acquire a power bat in the outfield to pair with Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun. If he can accomplish that, without overspending, then it would be a remarkable offseason for Eppler during his first season calling the shots.

Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.