The Los Angeles Angels made a trade over the weekend, bringing in LaMonte Wade Jr. from the San Francisco Giants in a trade between Perry Minasian and his brother, Zach. The Angels sent cash or a player to be named later in the deal, after Wade was DFA’d by the Giants last week.
Wade, 31, is having a down year by all objective metrics. He’s batting .167 with a .546 OPS in 169 plate appearances and has a -1.2 bWAR. But he is a left-handed bat, something the Angels are in desperate need of, and he can play both corner outfield positions. Mike Trout is still only playing at DH, making this another necessity.
Angels manager Ron Washington explained what he likes about Wade and why he’s exciting that the Halos were able to acquire him, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“We certainly needed a left-handed bat,” manager Ron Washington said. “We got some very good reviews from people we know, and he can play both corner outfield spots. And he gives us a quality baseball player and quality person, period.
“We’re looking forward to seeing him when he gets here, and we’ll sit down with him and see where his head is and decide how we want to use him.”
Wade was not on the active roster on Monday, but that is expected to change for Tuesday night against the Athletics. Having some depth in the outfield and lineup versatility with a left-handed bat could help the Angels keep their recent momentum going.
But, of course, Wade is not likely to be a game-changer for the Halos. He’s a career .742 OPS player known for his late-game heroics with the Giants, but not much else.
Angels looking to continue strong play
The Angels are 5-2 in their last seven games and are encroaching on the Seattle Mariners in the American League West. They are two games back for second place in the division, five games back of the Houston Astros for first and four games back of the Minnesota Twins for the final wild card spot.
This is as good a position as the Angels have been 65 games into a season in a long time. And with the way their young cornerstones have been playing, there is cause for real hope in Anaheim.
