With the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline just a little over a month away, teams around baseball are starting to determine whether they might be pretenders or contenders this season. While the biggest trades won’t be done until closer to the August 1 deadline, there were a couple deals that went through this week.
Let’s take a look at those deals and other major stories from around the league this week.
Angels Bring In A Pair Of Veterans Via Trade
This week saw the Los Angeles Angels be busy on the trade market as they made two separate deals for a pair of veteran infielders.
First, they acquired Eduardo Escobar from the New York Mets in exchange for prospects Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux. They also brought in Mike Moustakas from the Colorado Rockies for minor leaguer Connor Van Scoyoc.
For Escobar, the 34-year-old infielder is in the last year of a two-year, $20 million contract (with a 2024 team option). In 118 total at bats this season, he is hitting .254/.305/.432 with four home runs, 17 runs batted in, and 20 runs scored. Escobar is just a year removed from putting up 20 home runs for the Mets.
For Moustakas, also 34-years-old, he hit .270/.360/.435 with four home runs, 17 runs batted in, and 21 runs scored in 115 at bats for the Rockies before the deal.
The Angels currently sit in third place in the AL West, six games behind the division leading Texas Rangers. They have the third-best odds of winning the division at +900.
Judge’s Injury Worse Than Originally Thought
At 43-35, the New York Yankees currently sit 9.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, good for third in the AL East. While they are still hopeful to make a run at the division, they might have to do so without their biggest star.
Aaron Judge, who has already been out since June 3 with an injured big toe, revealed this week that the injury was a little worse than originally thought. In fact, it appears that the superstar outfielder has a torn ligament in the toe, leaving his availability this season somewhat in question.
Prior to the injury, Judge was hitting .291/.404/.674 with 19 home runs, 40 runs batted in and 42 runs scored in just 175 at bats. Since his departure, though, the Yankees are just 8-10 overall.
Between the injury and the Rays’ strong season thus far, the Yankees have the second-best odds of winning the division at just +1300.
Certainly, it is not a foregone conclusion that Judge will be out for the entirety of the 2023 season, but it appears that his ability to return is a bit more doubtful now.
Freeman Gets To 2,000
At 33-years-old, Freddie Freeman has already put together a phenomenal career. On Sunday, he cemented his legacy a bit more by getting to the 2,000 hit milestone.
He is one of just six active players in baseball with 2,000 hits, joining Andrew McCutchen, Elvis Andrus, Nelson Cruz, Joey Votto, and Miguel Cabrera.
On the season, Freeman is hitting .317/.397/.549 with 14 home runs, 48 runs batted in, 62 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Currently, Los Angeles sits in third in the NL West, three games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. They are still the favorites to win the division (-200), and they have the third-best odds of winning the World Series (+470).
