December 10, 2013

In a huge three team deal, The Arizona Diamondbacks have just traded for Mark Trumbo from the Angels. He's a young right handed power hitting outfielder and is exactly what the Diamondbacks were looking for to help protect their other slugger Paul Goldschmidt. In today's MLB, power hitters are at a premium so AZ was smart to nab a stud like Trumbo without hurting their farm system either.

ESPN:

The Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a three-team trade that would send Mark Trumbo to Arizona,Adam Eaton to Chicago and pitchers Hector Santiago and Tyler Skaggs to the Angels.

Arizona also will receive two players to be named -- those names likely withheld because at least one of those players will be exposed in Thursday's Rule 5 draft.

Trumbo has hit more than 30 home runs in each of his past two seasons. He batted .234 with 34 home runs and 100 RBIs this past season while hitting in one of the more pitcher-friendly parks in baseball. He will play left field for the Diamondbacks and with Paul Goldschmidt will give the team considerable right-handed power.

The White Sox acquire a young everyday center fielder and leadoff hitter in Eaton, who went into 2013 as a rookie of the year candidate but missed most of the season with a knee injury. He batted .252 with a .314 on-base percentage and 44 runs scored.

I'm not sold on the pitchers that Los Angeles got for him at all:

The Angels acquired the pitching depth they have been seeking after finishing last season 24th in ERA and a disappointing third in the AL West. Santiago, 25, was 4-9 with a 3.56 ERA for the White Sox last season. He has often struggled with his control, walking 72 batters in 149 innings.

Skaggs, a 22-year-old lefty from Santa Monica, Calif., is a former first-round pick of the Angels who was traded in 2010 to acquire Dan Haren. Skaggs spent most of last season at Triple-A and went 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA in seven starts for the Diamondbacks.

To me it looks like the Angels gave him away for unproven arms that haven't shown a great upside at this point.

Here's Steve Dams from MLBTradeRumors:

The Angels have been in the market for young, controllable pitchers, and they did so by filling out their rotation with a pair of promising young left-handers. This is the second time that GM Jerry Dipoto has acquired Skaggs, as Dipoto acquired Skaggs for the D-Backs from the Angels in a trade for Dan Haren when he was Arizona's interim GM.

Skaggs appeared in the Top 15 of BA's Top 100 list prior to the 2012 and 2013 seasons but has struggled in his brief big league experience to date. Still just 22, Skaggs has a 5.43 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 40 percent ground-ball rate in 68 Major League innings. He has a 4.02 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 156 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level -- all of which have come with him being one of the league's youngest pitchers. Skaggs won't be eligible for arbitration until at least 2016 and can be controlled through the 2019 campaign if he's in the Majors from here on out.

Santiago, who turns 26 next week, has a career 3.41 ERA with 8.7 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and a 37.5 percent ground-ball rate in 224 2/3 big league innings. He's not arbitration eligible until next winter and can be controlled through the 2017 campaign. An extreme fly-ball pitcher, Santiago should enjoy Mike Trout playing behind him in center field.

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