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The Los Angeles Angels have gotten off to quite a hot start despite the fact that Mike Trout is hitting below .200. Over half of Trout's hits have gone for home runs, so it kind of evens out.
Either way, many experts are predicting the Angels to fall off as the season goes on, especially after the trade deadline.
David Schoenfield of ESPN recently predicted the Angels would trade away their dominant starting pitcher, Tyler Anderson, if they fall out of postseason contention this season.
"The Angels are hitting a ton of home runs, and that has made them an early surprise as they attempt to end the majors' longest playoff drought," Schoenfield wrote. "Assuming the wheels eventually come off -- the way they have for the past nine consecutive losing seasons -- Jansen and Anderson are the logical trade candidates since both will be free agents."
Los Angeles put in a lot of effort by holding onto stars at last year's trade deadline and signing a few key guys during free agency this year. It's hard to believe they would cut ties with some of their players if they fall out of contention, but Anderson actually makes sense.
If you remember back to last season, the Angels decided to hold onto the players with team control and trade the ones on expiring contracts. Anderson is on an expiring contract. That means if the Angels are floating around .500 at the trade deadline, the expiring contracts, including Anderson, are at risk of being traded.
The market for the lefty would likely be pretty hot, considering he's gotten off to a very good start this season. Teams like the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees would make sense in a deal.
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About the writer
Zach Pressnell is a Newsweek contributor based in Columbus, Ohio. His focus is MLB content. He has an extensive knowledge ... Read more