DECISIONS: The Angels decide to trade Mark Trumbo to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs.
By Skylar Rains, Sports Writer
Was this a good decision? The Angels’ past season was nothing noteworthy, or even standard. With its losses outnumbering its wins, it is clear that something must be done to improve its game. Despite the disappointing season, Angels fans continued to support Trumbo, one of the most beloved players.
In exchange for Mark Trumbo and a future player from the Angels to be named later, the Angels will be receiving Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs. Santiago and Skaggs, two pitchers from the Diamondbacks, will be a valuable addition to the team because both have the potential to start. Skaggs was one of the Diamondbacks’ top pitching prospects and Santiago accumulated 122 strikeouts and started over 23 games last season.
Trumbo did not exactly have a stellar season, with a .299 on-base percentage, 152 strikeouts per season, and shoddy outfield defense (according to bleacherreport.com). However, it was his best season in his time with the Angels. He contributed 34 home runs, brought in 100 runs and played in 159 games this season.
Will the Angels benefit from this decision? Most sources say yes. The Angels were definitely in dire need of a stronger group of pitchers and they already had a large amount of heavy hitters in their line-up. Santiago boasts a career 3.30 ERA in starts and Skaggs, though lacking a lot of Major League experience, holds a 3.34 ERA. Skaggs was also ranked by MLB.com as a top-10 prospect of 2013.
Despite losing his teammates, Trumbo will be an asset to the D-backs because they currently lack heavy hitters in the middle of their lineup. No matter what, Trumbo will be missed by Angels fans everywhere. He will benefit the Diamondbacks, and will surely be able to grab the support of the fans due to his superior sportsmanship.