The Los Angeles Angels continued their bullpen makeover by acquiring All-Star closer Huston Street from the San Diego Padres on Friday as part of a 6-player trade.
According to reports, the Angels are getting Street and minor league pitcher Trevor Gott in exchange for minor leaguers Taylor Lindsey, R.J. Alvarez, Jose Rondon and a fourth player.
The Angels already had a weak farm system to begin with, and now it’s even weaker after getting rid of some of their top players. The Padres are getting a pretty nice haul in return for Street; MLB.com says they’re getting the Nos. 2, 5 and 6 ranked players from the Angels’ system.
Let’s take a look at the players the Angels are giving up to the Padres in the trade.
Taylor Lindsey – Lindsey was the No. 37 overall pick by the Angels in 2010 out of Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale. The second baseman is batting .289/.340/.445 with 43 home runs over his minor league career, which has spanned 453 games.
Lindsey walks a fair amount but does not steal bases. He is batting .247/.322/.400 in 75 games at Triple-A Salt Lake this year at age 22, meaning he has some room for improvement. He probably needs another year at Triple-A before being major-league ready, and the hope is he’ll be a .270-.280 hitter in the majors with the ability to hit a dozen or so home runs. That wouldn’t be at all bad for a second baseman.
Jose Rondon – Rondon was signed by the Angels out of Cuba in 2012. He’s a 6-foot-1, 160-pound shortstop who played two seasons in rookie ball before being moved up to high-A ball this year. As a 20-year-old shortstop with Inland Empire, Rondon is batting .327/.363/.418 through 72 games. Rondon 29 for 49 in stolen bases over his career, indicating that probably won’t be a part of his game. He also only has two career home runs in 793 career minor league at-bats, so don’t expect power from him. His glove is said to be pretty good, and it seems like he can hit for average, which is a good sign for now. He has a long ways to go in his career, but he might have a chance of making it as a low-end shortstop in the bigs.
R.J. Alvarez – Alvarez is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound relief pitcher selected by the Angels in the third round of the 2012 draft. Alvarez started off as a starter at Florida Atlantic, but he was converted to a reliever after two seasons with an ERA over 5. The change was great for him — he was 5-0 with a 0.72 ERA as a reliever in his junior season, which preceded him being drafted.
With an average of 13.54 K/9, Alvarez is a hard thrower and has shown a strong ability to make batters miss. He has gone from A-ball to high-A to Double-A in his three seasons of pro ball, showing that he is progressing in the classic step-by-step way. This season, he’s put up sick numbers for Double-A Arkansas. He has allowed just two runs — one earned — in 27 innings. He has a 0.33 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 38 strikeouts against 10 walks. He has a good chance of being part of the Padres’ bullpen in a year or two.
In addition to Street, the Angels are getting Trevor Gott, who was a 6th-round pick out of Kentucky last year. He was a dominant reliever in his three seasons at Kentucky, posting a 1.20 ERA in his junior season and averaging over 10 strikeouts per 9 innings in each season of his college career. He started off pro ball in low-A ball last year and has progressed to Double-A San Antonio where he’s struggled posting a 4.63 ERA in 11.2 innings.
The Angels will not only get the All-Star Street for the rest of the season, but they will also have a $7 million team option on him next season that they will likely pick up.
