| Craig Sternberg. 31st July, 2010 - 4:14 pm
 The Angels have been active in the trade market over the past week and a half, executing two separate trades that fit into both their short-term and long-term plans.
Trading Sean O?Sullivan and minor leaguer Will Smith, the Angels acquired former prospect Alberto Callaspo.
Callaspo fills an immediate hole in the Angels lineup and infield, taking over the third base position for the enigmatic and struggling Brandon Wood. Wood?s numbers have been atrocious this season, hitting for an OBP of .185. Almost any acquisition the Angels could have made for the third base position would be a massive upgrade and help the bottom portion of the lineup. With the Angels already familiar with Callaspo and knowing he?d be a cheaper option then most other third basemen available, the deal was a logical one for Tony Reagins to make.
Callaspo isn?t necessarily great at one particular skill, but he is a consistent contact hitter. He also can play a number of positions defensively, which fits in perfectly with the Angels style of baseball. While many would have preferred a third basemen with a bit more pop in his bat, the Angels now have some insurance with Callaspo?s versatility considering how often Maicer Izturis is injured. That being said, Izturis and Callaspo being similar types of players makes this deal a bit confusing considering Izturis came back from the DL shortly after the trade took place.
Another downside to the deal is trading O?Sullivan, who was able to take over the 5th spot in the rotation after Scott Kazmir went to the DL. With a premium placed on pitching in this league more so then ever, it?s a wonder why Reagins was so willing to give up a starting pitcher who was the Angels top rated pitching prospect just a few years ago. On top of that, the Royals also receive a young left handed pitching prospect in Smith. Kansas City certainly found a good return for a player of Callaspo?s caliber.
The deal overall makes the Angels better right now, but if Callaspo is going to be the future third basemen for this team for years to come, it?s a bit disappointing. He is most likely best served in a role much like Izturis as a utility infielder. If the Angels fall completely out of the race and Callaspo is indeed in the Angels future plans at third base, this deal has the potential to go down as a bad trade. On the other hand, even though O?Sullivan is a decent young pitcher, he obviously didn?t project into the Angels future plans. You just have to wonder if the Angels could have received more for a young pitcher of his caliber. Needless to say, this deal has both good and bad value to it and depending on future moves the Angels make either at the deadline or this offseason, this could either be a move that has very little impact or quite possibly set the Angels back at third base for a few years.
Grade for Angels: C-
Grade for Royals: B+
After trading for Callaspo, the Angels then made a bigger splash by acquiring three-time All-Star Dan Haren for Joe Saunders. Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez and Tyler Skaggs. This not only significantly upgrades the Angels current rotation, but also puts them in a great position to succeed for years to come.
While Haren has struggled this year in Arizona, he has been a top pitcher for many years and could flourish in the right situation. His BABIP this year was .350 before coming to the Angels, showing that there is room for plenty of improvement and that the Diamondbacks defense struggled behind him. Haren still has a high percentage of strikeouts this year and should be able to turn it around at some point.
The transition from the National League to the American League should be effortless for Haren, as he?s not only pitched in the AL before, but has pitched in the same exact division when he was with Oakland.
The Angels also didn?t give up much in the deal, which makes the Diamondbacks perspective of the deal perplexing and validates rumors that they needed to shed some salary. While Skaggs is a great prospect, the other prospects in the deal don?t possess much upside for the D-Backs.
Saunders, much like Haren, has struggled this year and is probably better then what he has shown this season. Unfortunately, he is also going to command somewhere between $5M and $7M in arbitration this offseason, a number that he frankly isn?t worth. While the Diamondbacks might truly be higher on Skaggs and Corbin then most teams out there, it?s hard to believe they couldn?t get more for Haren.
Many Angel fans will bemoan that this deal reeks of a similar trade for Kazmir, that opinion is merely shortsighted. Haren has not only been more consistent in his big league career but has been injured far less as well. At the very least, Haren is an upgrade over Saunders and will provide a few more wins per year. The only valid comparisons to Kazmir is the fact that Haren seems to have lost some velocity pitching in the lower 90s with his sinker nowadays, which has allowed many balls to be hit in play. Unless the Angels improve their defense, Haren could face a similar situation that he had in Arizona. All in all, the Angels risked very little in order to get Haren and he has the potential to provide a special top of the rotation with Jared Weaver.
Grade for Angels: A
Grade for D-Backs: D-
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