Angels Show They Mean Business With Lucas Giolito Trade
How about those Angels, eh?
The Halos pulled off the biggest trade ahead of MLB's August 1 deadline, acquiring Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito in exchange for the Angels' top two prospects, catcher Edgar Quero and LHP Ky Bush, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
There's no other way to put it. The Angels are going for it, and have made a franchise-defining deal as proof of that.
In acquiring Giolito, the Halos are getting another ace to pair alongside franchise icon Shohei Ohtani, in a move that will definitely help a franchise that needed pitching depth beyond the two-way icon.
Giolito figures to make an immediate impact in Anaheim, and suddenly gives the Angels one of the most feared duos at the top of a starting rotation in the American League.
For a team sitting just four games back in the race for a playoff spot, this is a move that could propel the Halos into the postseason. They already have a formidable lineup when healthy, with Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Anthony Rendon anchoring it.
With the latter two on track to return next month, the Angels put the rest of baseball on notice that they will be making some noise as they try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
The Halos have a difficult schedule coming up in August with series against the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, and inter-division road matchups against the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros on the slate, but the acquisition of Giolito will go a long way toward alleviating any concerns.
Yes, the trade just happened, but the Los Angeles Angels just made one of their most momentous trades in franchise history.
The team is most certainly going to be a test for the rest of the American League, provided that they do now make their suddenly expected playoff appearance. A deeper run into the ALCS -- or potentially even further -- isn't beyond the realm of imagination.
And along with giving the Angels a significant push in their race for October, this trade may just give the Angels an all-important edge when it comes to re-signing Ohtani this offseason.
It will cost an extraordinary amount of money to make that happen. But this move is undeniable proof that the franchise, at long last, does indeed mean business when it comes to winning. And they'll most definitely have a horse in the race in the pursuit for the most skilled player that baseball has ever seen.
Ohtani has made his desire to win -- and win soon -- known.
Well, the only MLB team he's known just made the biggest win now move of the season -- a move that could have long lasting ramifications not just on this season, but on the course of a franchise's history.
We'll see what happens over the final few months of this season and into the winter, but the Angels are no longer going to be in the background.
They're fully intending to be here to stay, and they just made the biggest possible move to prove that mentality.
