The Los Angeles Angels have continued to be aggressive on the trade market in an attempt to improve their roster and end their playoff drought. The team announced on Sunday that they had acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron in a trade with the Colorado Rockies.
The Angels gave up minor league pitcher Mason Albright and right-hander Jake Madden as part of the deal. It is a homecoming of sorts for Grichuk and Cron, as they both were drafted by the LA team.
Grichuk will give the Angels more versatility in the outfield due to his ability to play all three positions. He has been batting .308 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs so far in 2023.
Cron, on the other hand, has a batting average of .260 this season with 11 homers and 32 RBIs. He will most likely split the first base duties with Mike Moustakas, whom the Angels also acquired from the Rockies back in June.
This is the second major move that the Angels have executed this past week. The organization also bolstered their rotation by acquiring right-hand pitcher Lucas Giolito and increased their bullpen depth with Reynaldo Lopez. Both Giolito and Lopez arrived in a trade from the Chicago White Sox.
The Los Angeles Angels are currently in the midst of a postseason hunt. They are third in AL West with a 55-51 record, having won seven out of their past 10 games. They trail 5.5 games behind division leaders Texas Rangers and are four games removed from the final wild-card spot.
