On December 10th, 2015, the Angels acquired Yunel Escobar from the Washington Nationals in exchange for reliever, Trevor Gott. The move to date has been fairly one-side as Escobar has been an above average third baseman for the Angels, while Gott has spent the entire season in Triple- A for the Nationals.
Escobar is currently slashing .309/.351/.356 to go along with 21 extra base hits and just 36 strikeouts in 70 games as the Angels lead-off hitter. Those stats make him a hot commodity on the trade market for teams looking to upgrade at the hot corner come August 1st. Since the Angels are 33-49 as of this post, it is very likely they will be sellers at the deadline. Escobar has a seven million dollar club option for 2017, which enhances his value.
While the Angels may choose to keep Escobar for 2017, let’s look at some teams who will look to acquire him by the non-waiver trade deadline on August 1st.San Francisco Giants – The Giants have expressed interest in Escobar and with Matt Duffy on the DL until at least after the all-star break, they may be interested in Escobar services. Sam Coonrod would be a decent prospect, the Angels may want in return.
New York Mets – The Mets have also expressed interest and seem like a natural fit for the veteran. The Mets will be buyers at the deadline and have an obvious hole at third with longtime starter, David Wright likely out for the season. A swap of Gabriel Ynoa or Rafael Montero might be the deal done.
Kansas City Royals- The Royals currently have Cheslor Cuhtbert filling in for the injured Mike Moustakas. A trade for Escobar would be a significant upgrade over the young Cuthbert. This trade is unlikely but if the Royals look to the boost their offense a Kyle Zimmer– Escobar swap would work for both teams. Escobar’s versatility could be a big factor as he could shift to second base in 2017 when Moustakas returns.