The Los Angeles Angels have upgraded their already-potent offense by acquiring outfielder Matt Joyce from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for relief pitcher Kevin Jepsen.
Details of the trade were confirmed by the Angels on Twitter:
The move does serve two purposes for the Angels. In addition to giving them more depth on the bench, the defending American League West champions have a solid insurance policy in the event that Josh Hamilton gets hurt. Joyce has been durable since 2011, playing at least 140 games in three of the last four years.
Jonah Keri of Grantland likes the deal for both sides, as it gives the Angels’ right-handed heavy lineup a solid left-handed weapon and the Rays get another power arm in their already-potent bullpen:
Even though Joyce’s OPS has declined in each of the last four years, from a high of .837 in 2010 to .732 last year, he’s only had an on-base percentage under .341 once during that span and is an affordable option in his third year of arbitration.
Jepsen is coming off his best season with the Angels. The 30-year-old right-hander appeared in 74 games covering 65 innings, posting a 2.63 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 45 hits allowed in 2014. He’s entering his second year of arbitration.
This is one of those smaller deals that makes sense for both sides. The Angels, while they have a full outfield, are always going to need another body because of how erratic Hamilton has been. Joyce can also fill in at DH as part of a platoon with C.J. Cron.
Since the Rays don’t have the money to go after a top starting pitcher, they can follow the Kansas City blueprint to success and build a power bullpen that can shorten games to six innings.
Stats via Baseball-Reference.com
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