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.