The Los Angeles Angels have made trade inquires on two Oakland Athletics' players, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Gonzalez reported that the Angels have inquired on A's outfielder Josh Reddick, and while Rosenthal confirmed that report, he also noted that the Angels have inquired on super utility man Ben Zobrist as well. However, as Rosenthal reports, the Angels were given a "flat 'no'" on Reddick, considering he is an affordable option for the Athletics. GM Billy Beane resisted offers for Reddick all last offseason, even as he made many moves to shake up the team. Reddick reportedly angered some folks in the A's organization after he commented on them leaving him out of the lineup. Despite this, the Athletics are unlikely to make any rash moves, as Rosenthal notes that Beane rarely acts out of emotion. It's no secret that the Angels would like an upgrade in left field, where Matt Joyce is currently struggling to a .192/.284/.313 line. They have also reportedly inquired on the Phillies' Ben Revere and showed interest in the Brewers' Adam Lind and Gerrado Parra. The 28-year-old Reddick is hitting a solid .288/.346/.463 in 312 plate appearances and would definitely qualify as a "better" option for the Angels. Zobrist, like Reddick, is having a successful season himself. The 34-year-old is hitting .267/.354/.450 in 209 plate appearances. Zobrist can play both the infield and outfield successfully, giving him a ton of potential suitors at the upcoming trade deadline. --Devan Fink
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Here are the latest trades that took place today involving both players and international signing money. These are notable especially in lieu of international signing day.
Update, 6:09 pm: Dipoto officially announced his departure from the Angels' front office earlier this afternoon. A replacement for Dipoto has yet to be named.
Update, 1:50 pm: The Angels want to keep Dipoto as their general manager, reports Morosi. Owner Arte Moreno and president John Carpino are trying to make piece between Dipoto and Scioscia. However, if Dipoto still decides to resign, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick hears that assistant GM Matt Klentak would be given the job. There has yet to be an official announcement either way from the team. Initial Story: Los Angeles Angels' general manager Jerry Dipoto is "definitely out" from his position, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports. It is likely he resigned. Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan reported that the players believe Dipoto is out as GM. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes that Dipoto's office is cleaned out, but he could just be making the move "out of emotion." This move from Dipoto comes as a result of another report from Rosenthal. He reported that the GM and manager Mike Scioscia were not getting along again, even though the two had presumably moved past older tensions from 2012. These tensions, however, appeared to be unrepairable, according to a report from Yahoo's Tim Brown. The matter on which the two Angels decision makers did not see eye-to-eye on has to do with scouting reports. It looked as if Dipoto felt that Scioscia was not utilizing the front office's reports (such as things like defensive shifts) during the games. However, Scioscia and some Angels players felt that Dipoto did not make as good of a team than in years past. Overall, it just looks like both sides were not happy with what the other side was doing. Dipoto, 47, has been the Angels' general manager since the beginning of the 2012 season and has enjoyed plenty of success. The team has had two .500 or better seasons in his the three full years he's been there and went to the playoffs last season after winning the AL West for the first time since 2009. --Devan Fink
With the June Draft less than a month away, it's time to start talking about who are sleepers in this draft. These are players who may not be picked in the first or second rounds, but could end up being stars nonetheless.
Joliet Catholic Academy (Joliet, IL) catcher Nick Dalesandro could be one of these players. Dalesandro is committed to Purdue and is expected to be selected in the Top 10 rounds of this draft, with a possibility of him going in the Top 5. The St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels, and Pittsburgh Pirates are among the teams who have scouted Dalesandro, according to a source close to the situation. Dalesandro is one of the best dual-threats in the nation, both pitching and catching. Other clubs have scouted Dalesandro as a pitcher, though catching appears to be his best position. Defensively, Dalesandro may be one of the best catchers in the country. He has pop times of 1.80, which is considered to be extremely low. His defense is highly touted by PrepBaseballReport.com: Defensively...rocket for arm, impresses with easy carry to second base, extremely accurate, threw out runner from knees at third base with right-handed hitter in box (third strike and third out on the pitch)...Elite-level catch and throw prospect...Elite national prospect.
The evaluator at Prep Baseball Report compared Dalesandro's defense to that of Padres' catcher Austin Hedges.
What makes Dalesandro a possibility to be a real steal in this draft is his bat, which was a main question coming into the season. On March 20, when the evaluator at Prep Baseball Report scouted Dalesandro, he hit seven batting practice balls for homers, while showing improved plate discipline and better timing. Dalesandro's bat may be the most underrated part of his game and could make him a top prospect quickly. Dalesandro has also pitched and some evaluators believe that is where he will end up. He ranges from 90-91 mph on the hill and has hit 92 in the past. He has good breaking pitches and could project to be a Major League pitcher in the future. The combination of all these aspects of Dalesandro's game make him a draft prospect to keep an eye on as he continues to rise up the draft boards. --Devan Fink
One common theme at this year's trade deadline appears to be the Philadelphia Phillies. The team is far from contending and has a lot of movable pieces, including the likes of Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, and even perhaps Chase Utley.
However, one oft-mentioned trade possibility for Philadelphia is center fielder Ben Revere. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Revere is being scouted by opposing teams, with the Angels having earlier interest. As Rosenthal notes, Revere is the odd man out in an outfield that is likely to be getting Domonic Brown and Cody Asche (who is transitioning to the outfield) back from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Odubel Herrera, the Phillies' Rule 5 draft pick, can play center and looks to be going nowhere thus far this season. The Phillies did have interest in moving Revere earlier this year. He is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the 2017 season. In 159 plate appearances this season, Revere is slashing .268/.314/.356/.670. One promising thing about Revere's offense this year is that he has almost as many walks (9) in 39 games than he had last year (13) in 151 games. However, Revere did lead the NL in hits last season and posted a .306 average. Nonetheless, he is an interesting trade target all the way around. --Devan Fink |
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