The Tampa Bay Rays have traded Matt Joyce to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Kevin Jepsen.

Los Angeles views Joyce as their primary designated hitter and possible No. 2 hitter, which would allow Mike Trout to hit third.

"He gives us a lot of flexibility and makes us a deeper and more balanced team," Jerry Dipoto said. "We just felt like this was an opportunity for us to build a deeper and well-balanced lineup for 2015, and continue to move in such a way that we feel like we're making the team better."