Well, the offseason wasn't over yet.
The
Angels finally added that big stick, completing
a trade with the Toronto
Blue Jays for center fielder Vernon
Wells. In exchange, the Angels will deal from their depth at
catcher and gluttony of outfielders, by sending C Mike
Napoli and OF Juan
Rivera to Toronto.
In Wells, the Angels
immediately improve an offense that scored 681 runs last year, sixth
worst in the American League, down from the 883 runs the team put up in
2009.
Over his career, Wells has averaged 26 home
runs and 95 RBI, both of which would have led the Angels a year ago.
When healthy, he is a middle-of-the-lineup impact bat and a perfect Mike
Scioscia player because he is not one-dimensional and can steal some
bags. He has the potential to be a 20-20 guy playing under an aggressive
manager like Scioscia, with good speed (90 career stolen bases in 119
attempts).
Health is a concern with
Wells,
