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Angels Reportedly Trade Veteran Hurler To Braves After Brief Stint With Club
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- Angels Reportedly Trade Veteran Hurler To Braves After Brief Stint With Club
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Los Angeles Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak has made yet another move ahead of Monday's trade deadline.
Just days ago, the Angels shipped out catcher Logan O'Hoppe and right-hander Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league infielder Angel Arredondo.
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Early Monday morning, Los Angeles finally dealt righty José Soriano to the Toronto Blue Jays after weeks of speculation that the 27-year-old would be moved.
Now, Mozeliak has traded away another pitcher with just hours to go until the Major League Baseball trade deadline.
"Trade news: The Atlanta Braves are acquiring left-handed reliever Brent Suter from the Los Angeles Angels for infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. ," ESPN's Jeff Passan reported.
Suter has a 4.12 ERA with a 55-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .257 batting average against and a 1.26 WHIP in 63 1/3 innings pitched across 41 games this season.
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The veteran reliever is in his 11th season in the majors after spending more than half a decade with the Milwaukee Brewers and subsequently bouncing around to a handful of other clubs before landing with the Angels this past offseason.
In return, the Braves are sending 23-year-old shortstop Alvarez Jr. to Los Angeles. The infielder is hitting .236 with nine extra-base hits including two home runs, 21 RBIs and a .663 OPS in 37 games for the Braves' Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers.
Unfortunately for Angels fans, it will take some time before the club gets to see Alvarez Jr. in action. On July 14, the shortstop landed on the 60-day injured list due to inflammation in his left wrist.
While the Angels have been heavily expected to trade away most of their major league-ready talent, Suter being shipped out was not on the radar for experts and analysts.
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However, this move does not come as a shock with the way Mozeliak has been handling the trade deadline.
Receiving a prospect like Alvarez Jr., who has high upside, is a sign that Mozeliak is building in Anaheim a farm system that can blossom into a successful roster in the coming years.
With the Angels currently claiming the title of the worst team in MLB with a 43-69 record entering Monday, we can expect many more trades of this caliber in the next few hours.
Los Angeles is also widely expected to move on from highly coveted shortstop Zach Neto and left-hander Reid Detmers , as most MLB contenders are in search of infield talent and starting pitching.
With the trade deadline looming, the Angels are poised to make a few more splashes to bolster their farm system.
As for Suter, the 36-year-old will get a chance to aid the Braves in a postseason run.
