The Angels are continuing to be aggressive ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, and they’ve reportedly managed to fortify their lineup in a deal with the Rockies on Sunday evening.
According to Mark Feinsand of the MLB Network, Anaheim is acquiring both outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from Colorado.
Heading the other way in the deal are pitching prospects Jake Madden and Mason Albright. Madden, a right-hander, is ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Angels’ farm, per MLB Pipeline. Albright, a southpaw, was the team’s No. 28 prospect.
After shoring up their pitching with the acquisition of Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox, the Halos doubled down on their aggressive trade deadline stance with the deal to bring the two sluggers to Anaheim. Interestingly enough, both Grichuk and Cron were former Angels’ first-round picks, drafted in 2009 and ’11, respectively. Cron played the first four seasons of his MLB career with the franchise, though Grichuk never featured in a game for the team.
This season, Cron, who made his lone All-Star appearance in 2022, is slashing .259/.300/.473 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI across 55 games. He’s hit 25 or more home runs in four of the last six seasons, dating back to ’18. As for Grichuk, the 31-year-old has featured in 63 games this year, logging eight home runs, 27 RBI and a .869 OPS.
