Five Best Trade Partners for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chris Archer

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PEORIA, ARIZONA – MARCH 10: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels gets ready in the batters box during a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Stadium on March 10, 2020 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
PEORIA, ARIZONA – MARCH 10: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels gets ready in the batters box during a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Stadium on March 10, 2020 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

One team that needs durability, and possibly another starting pitcher, is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. When the 2020 season does start, the Angles will open the year with Shohei Ohtani leading the charge, but that’s about it.

They will hope that Griffin Canning can fully breakout, but he would have started the 2020 season on the injured list had the year went about as planned. The rest of the rotation is not too awe-inspiring. Andrew Heaney could be a very solid pitcher when he’s healthy, but the former top prospect has only reached 30+ starts in a single season once in his career, and 100+ innings just twice. Julio Teheran represents a solid, and durable option, but his peripherals leave more questions than answers. While he has had a solid 3.88 ERA in the past two seasons, he has also posted a 4.75 FIP, and his 4.89 SIERA has been the worst among NL pitchers (tied for the worst in the entire MLB with Reynaldo Lopez) in the past two seasons.

Dylan Bundy is another rotation option the Angels acquired this off-season, but he just hasn’t been good at all. The former top 3 prospect has given up 70 home runs in the past two years, including 41 in 2018. Overall, his numbers from his ERA (5.13) to his SIERA (4.22) leave much to be desired, especially for a pitcher who was ranked above guys like Gerrit Cole, Zack Wheeler, and current injured Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon.

Archer would provide some stability to the Angels rotation, while some durability as well. If the Pirates were to trade Archer to the Angels, the team does have some interesting pieces. They should ask about two-way prospect Jared Walsh. The outfielder/first baseman/left-handed pitcher hit very well at Triple-A last season. In 454 plate appearances, he hit .325/.423/.686 with an outstanding extra base hit total, including 36 home runs and 30 doubles. Overall, he had a 161 wRC+.

He also pitched 13 innings, but did not do well. Walsh gave up 6 earned runs, and issued five walks to go with nine strikeouts. However, he did not give up a single home run. Walsh is getting up there in age for a prospect, turning 27 in July, so the Pittsburgh Pirates should also ask for a young, high upside player like 20-year-old left-handed pitcher Hector Yan.