The angel acquired infielder Mike Moustakas Tonight I’m sending minor league righty Connor Van Scoyoc to the Rocky Mountains. The now official deal was reported for the first time Robert Murray from Fansided. The Halos’ designated infielder Kevin Padlo reported for the commission to open a place for Moustakas MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger.
Moustakas, 34, was sacked by the Reds in January with the club pocketing $22m in the process. In March, he struck a minor league deal with the Rockies and made the opening-day roster with a strong spring start. With the Rockies, Moustakas was used as a backup at the infield corners behind CJ Cron And Ryan McMahon. Cron has been in the IL since mid-May with a back injury, but Elehuris Montero scored numerous starts at first base in his place.
After two seasons plagued by injuries, left-hander Moustakas has recovered somewhat from his 136 plate appearances for Colorado this year with a WRC+ 101. Moustakas was effectively allowed to go to the guests’ clubhouse tonight after the Angels set multiple franchise records with a 25-1 win over the Rockies at Coors Field.
Moustakas couldn’t play in that game but he will move from the worst team in the NL to a Halos club who are tied for third AL wildcard with the Blue Jays. The Angels are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014. With the acquisition of Moustakas tonight, they’ve gained a three-time All-Star, 2015 world champion and 13-year MLB veteran. Moose hit 35 home runs in 2019, the fifth time he has hit at least 20 in a season.
Moustakas’ first two bouts with free agency were disappointing. On his first assignment of the 2017-18 season, he turned down a qualifying offer from the Royals of $17.4 million, but returned in March on a one-year, $6.5 million contract. The next time he stayed on the market until February before re-signing with the Brewers for $10 million. Moustakas was able to use his 2019 All-Star season as a stepping stone to a surprise four-year, $64 million deal with the Reds. Unfortunately, Moustakas only played 140 games for the Reds from 2021-2022 due to heel injuries, a right bicep strain, a calf strain and appearances with the COVID-IL.
Moustakas spent some time at second base in 2019–20 but has since been deployed at infield corners and is a designated hitter. The Angels fielded a number of players initially this year, each going over 100 innings Brandon Drury, Jared Walsh, Gio UrshelaAnd Jake Lamb. Lamb was optioned to triple-A in May and Walsh followed him on Saturday. Urshela recently fractured his pelvis at the end of the season.
Third baseman for the Angels Anthony Rendon walked the IL last Monday with an injured wrist. Luis Rengifo had gotten the nod in the hot corner until the Angels took over the switch hitter Eduardo Escobar as a sort of Urshela replacement in a Friday trade with the Mets. Escobar, the Mets’ last third baseman, could initially complement Moustakas and try his hand at second base after Rendon’s return. Escobar has been hitting reasonably good lefties in recent seasons, with a 131 WRC+ in 398 plate appearances against them since 2021. Moustakas has been hitting righties with a 115 WRC+ from 2015-2020 and may need to do it again to make his to keep squad place.
As for the Rockies, Moustakas could perhaps be the first domino to fall before the August 1 close. GM Bill Schmidt didn’t reveal much in his comments on the subject on the Rockies broadcast about a week ago, but the team’s potential free agents include the following Charlie Blackmon, Randal Grichuk, Jurickson Prof, CJ Cron, Pierce Johnson, Brent SuterAnd brad hand.
The Rockies brought in Van Scoyoc, a 23-year-old right-back who served as the starting pitcher for the High-A Tri-City Dust Devils this year. He was an 11th-round pick by the Angels at an Iowa high school in 2018. Van Scoyoc has a 2.76 ERA in 62 innings at this level, based on a 51.2% groundball percentage. Curiously, Van Scoyoc also switched clubhouses to join his new team. notes Doug Taylor on twitter.
Padlo, 26, had previously signed a minor league contract with the Angels in December and secured a major league appearance by hitting .273/.396/.555 at Triple-A. The Angels picked his contract Monday and gave him eight plate appearances, but now he’s lost another 40-man spot. Padlo, a corner infielder, has also seen MLB time with the Rays, Mariners, Giants and Pirates.