The Los Angeles Angels failed to land a top starter on the free agent market, so now they could be pivoting to the trade market instead.
Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported on Sunday that the Angels have discussed a trade with the Cleveland Indians this offseason for righty arm Mike Clevinger. Morosi notes though that there has been no active dialogue in recent days and that talks failed to gain momentum when the Indians’ initial asking price included top Angels prospect Jo Adell and an additional player.
The 29-year-old Clevinger, who went 13-4 last season with a 2.71 ERA and 169 strikeouts in only 21 starts, was originally drafted by the Angels as a fourth-round pick back in 2011. The team traded him to the Indians in 2014 before he ever made it to the big leagues however.
Though they made some marginal upgrades to the rotation by adding Dylan Bundy and Julio Teheran this winter, the Angels still lack a true ace atop their staff. But the 20-year-old Adell, the team’s crown jewel prospect, may be too steep a price to pay, so maybe they should look elsewhere on the trade market.
