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3 players from the Angels that the Pirates should consider acquiring
The Angels are reportedly starting to listen to trade calls on certain players. Let's take a look at three playes the Pirates should consider acquiring to boost their team.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are preparing for a big month of June, where they will continue to discover their true identity as a team in 2024. They currently are just below .500, but they are improving and could use some additions to increase their chances of going to the playoffs. According to FanSided's Robert Murray on his Baseball Insiders Podcast, the Los Angeles Angels are beginning to listen to calls regarding trades for certain players.
This is very significant as the Angels have not been good this season and they have various solid players. After losing Mike Trout, the Angels have fell apart and they appear to be looking to rebuild. This is where the Pirates come in. They have a lot of great prospects that they could unload as they look to return to the post-season. Let's take a look at three Angels that the Pirates should consider acquiring.
Adam Cimber
Adam Cimber is a veteran right-handed pitcher known for his unique side-arm delivery, which has led him to a very successful career. Last offseason, the Angels signed Cimber to a one-year contract worth $1,650,000. This cheap contract makes him a big target for many buying teams, including the Pirates.
Cimber is a setup man in the Angels' bullpen. In this role, he has a 3-0 record with a 4.43 earned run average in 20.1 innings pitched and has struck out 17 batters. His WHIP is very solid at 1.08, his FIP is decent at 4.16, and opponents have a batting average of .203 against him.
His delivery is tricky for batters. With it, he adds three pitches. His sinker is his most-thrown pitch, and it sits around 85 miles per hour. It also has a 42.7 inches of vertical drop and 13 inches of horizontal break. He only uses that sinker against right-handed hitters. Against left-handed hitters, Cimber throws a four-seam fastball, which has the same velocity but does not break as much. This pitch gets hit around the most. Cimber's most dominant pitch is his slider. This slider sits around 74 miles per hour and has 16.6 inches of horizontal break. Opponents have an expected batting average of .128 and an expected slugging percentage of .196 against this pitch
A trade for Cimber would not cost much since he is just on a one-year contract. The Pirates likely could acquire him for an unranked prospect.
Willie Calhoun
Willie Calhoun is a veteran outfielder. He has bounced around from the minors to majors for his entire career, but has managed to stick with the Angels this year. Los Angeles signed Calhoun this offseason to a minor league contract but was selected to join the team in May. Not only does he play outfield, but he has played 27 innings this season at first base throughout the minors and majors.
Calhoun got off to a very hot start when he was recalled, but recently his bat has cooled off. Through 83 at bats, Calhoun has a .277 batting average with one home run and five runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .713, which includes an on-base percentage of .291 and a slugging percentage of .422. His wRC+ is 97 and has a strikeout percentage of just 11.6%. Calhoun does have power in his bat, which was displayed in 2019 when he hit 21 home runs. Although he hasn't hit home runs this year, he has hit nine doubles.
Statcast metrics have shown that Calhoun has gotten unlucky. His expected batting average is .335, making him the 15th-unluckiest hitter out of the 342 who have put at least 50 balls in play. He also has a plus average exit velocity of 90.2 miles per hour.
Calhoun would be a cheap pickup for the Pirates to boost their outfield depth and a possible replacement for Rowdy Tellez. Similarly to Cimber, Pittsburgh could acquire Calhoun with an unranked prospect.
Taylor Ward
Taylor Ward is a long-shot trade candidate for the Pirates. He has been one of the best hitters in the Angels' lineup and could be an All-Star this year. Ward is a primary left fielder, which could improve the Pirates' outfield for 2024 and multiple seasons after that. He will not be a free agent until after the 2026 season.
As a potential All-Star candidate, Ward has gotten off to a great start to the season. Through 52 games, Ward has a batting average of .274 with 11 home runs and 32 runs batted in. He also has an OPS of .813, which includes an on-base percentage of .330 and a slugging percentage of .483. His wRC+ is very good at 127 and his strikeout percentage is decent at 21.9%.
Statcast metrics also prove that Ward is having a great season. His expected batting average is .290, which is in the 89th percentile and his expected slugging percentage is .552, which is in the 95th percentile. His barrel percentage is also solid at 14.1% and his chase percentage is among the best in the league at 20.1%.
This trade would require a decent haul from the Pirates. To acquire Ward, Pittsburgh may need to let go of one of, at the very least, one of their top-ten prospects.
Although it is tough to unload some of the farm system that Ben Cherington has spent years building, but in order to get back to the playoffs, the Pirates should consider unloading a few of their top prospects to build their team in Pittsburgh. The front office should take adavantage of the Angels struggling season by formulating a trade.