ANAHEIM — When reports came out of Pittsburgh last week that the Pirates were working on a deal for Taylor Ward, it didn’t matter that the Angels outfielder was trying to avoid such talk.
“My inner circle will text me and let me know about it,” he said. “I’m well aware of it.”
Ward said he nonetheless tried to eliminate the potential distraction from his mind. The story faded just as quickly as it appeared, once it became evident there was no deal imminent.
Those type of issues are likely to occur more frequently around the Angels’ clubhouse leading up to the July 30 trade deadline, though.
The Angels are out of the playoff race, and they have a handful of players who would be attractive to contenders. That means rumors will be flying for the next two weeks about which players might be moved.
“I can’t control that stuff,” said closer Carlos Estévez, who is No. 1 on the list of Angels most likely to be traded. “If I can’t control it, I’m not going to worry about it. I’m going to worry about my effort in here, in the weight room, in the training room, when I’m out there pitching. That’s the most I can do. I’m not a GM. I don’t make those decisions. At the same time, I understand it’s a business. It is what it is. I just try to deal with the day to day instead of thinking about that stuff.”
Left-hander Tyler Anderson is also a likely trade candidate, although he’s not as certain to go as Estévez because the Angels have him signed for next year too.
“My whole thought in baseball and in life is control the controllables,” Anderson said. “If it’s out of your control, don’t worry about it.”
Manager Ron Washington has been trying to keep his players focused, even though the playoff chances were lost months ago.
The trade deadline offers another possible distraction to all of that, but he said he’s not worried about his players getting caught up in the talk.
“I continue to come to the ballpark and we continue to do what we have to do to get prepared for the day,” Washington said. “The moves that are made, I might know about it, but I’m not the one pulling the plug. I might have some suggestions, but I’m not going to let that affect the rest of the guys out here thinking about that. If they move somebody, we’ll put somebody else out there.”
Washington’s Angels have been playing better lately, including a winning record since early June. They’d certainly like to keep the momentum going in that direction, even if it’s too late for this season, but it could become more difficult if they lose some veterans.
Estévez is almost certainly going to be wearing another uniform in August.
The 31-year-old closer got off to a shaky start this season, but since May 28 he has worked 15 consecutive scoreless innings. Included in that was a stretch of 26 consecutive batters retired. For the season, he’s got a 2.61 ERA with 31 strikeouts and four walks.
Just about every contender could use bullpen help, and anyone with experience pitching the ninth inning goes to the top of the list.
The Angels have three other healthy relievers who are free agents at the end of the season, making them all potential trade pieces.
Right-hander Luis Garcia, 37, has a 4.08 ERA, but he has a 1.54 ERA in his last 10 games. Right-hander Hunter Strickland, 35, has a 3.48 ERA. Left-hander Matt Moore, 35, is the least likely to be moved because he’s got a 4.91 ERA. He also has the highest salary, at $9 million, which leaves another $3 million to be paid over the final two months.
The only position player with an expiring contract who might be traded is outfielder Kevin Pillar. The 35-year-old Pillar is just a bench player on a good team, but there definitely would be some teams that could use him. The Angels probably wouldn’t get much back. If they trade him, it would be more as a favor to Pillar to get him one last shot at a World Series ring.
Of that group, Estévez is the only one who could get the Angels a difference-making prospect in return.
However, the Angels also have several players who remain under control beyond this season. They still wouldn’t get back any team’s top prospects, but they could net a package of useful players.
Anderson, 34, is at the top of that list. He has a 2.97 ERA and he has pitched 118 innings, giving him a combination of effectiveness and durability that many teams would covet. He’s also signed for only $13 million next season. A team likely wouldn’t give the type of package that a No. 1 or No. 2 starter would yield, but a team that simply needs arms to fill out its rotation to get to the playoffs would be in the market for someone like Anderson.
Infielder Luis Rengifo, 27, is currently on the injured list with wrist inflammation. The injury isn’t considered serious, and Rengifo is expected to start swinging a bat just after the break. A team still could want him even if he’s not quite ready by July 30, especially since he’s also under control for next season. Rengifo is hitting .315 and he can play second and third.
Ward, 30, is complicated. The Angels have him under control for two seasons beyond this one, which should make him highly valuable. However, he’s been in a slump ever since he was hit in the helmet by a pitch. Ward, who missed the last two months of last season with multiple facial fractures after he was hit by a pitch, said the latest incident affected him mentally. His OPS is down to .713, which is below average for a corner outfielder.
While there will be rumors about all of those players, it’s not likely anything will happen until just before the deadline, because that’s typically how it goes.
In the meantime, those players and their teammates will simply try to focus on the present.
“It’s definitely tough,” Strickland said. “Over the past few months, we’ve been growing our relationship together. It’s definitely a tough situation. For myself and all of us, we’ve got to do our best not to think about it. Just show up one day at a time and play the game.”
