Angels Acquire Eduardo Escobar From Mets To Shore Up Infield
Image credit: Eduardo Escobar (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
With Anthony Rendon (wrist contusion), Zach Neto (oblique strain) and Gio Urshela (fractured pelvis) all on the injured list, the Angels made a move to shore up their infield depth.
The Angels acquired veteran third baseman Eduardo Escobar from the Mets on Friday in exchange for righthanded pitching prospects Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux. Crow was the Angels No. 17 prospect and Marceaux was their No. 20 prospect.
Escobar lost the Mets’ third base job to rookie Brett Baty this season and saw his playing time dwindle, but he represents an upgrade over the Angels’ existing options at third base with Rendon injured and Urshela out for the season. Crow and Marceaux, meanwhile, give the Mets some desperately needed pitching depth in their farm system.
ANGELS ACQUIRE
Eduardo Escobar, 3B
Age: 34
Escobar is far removed from his prime, but the switch-hitting veteran still hit 20 home runs last season and has been effective at the plate against lefties (.283, .855 OPS) this season. Despite hitting .236/.286/.409 and losing the Mets starting third base job this year, he still represents an upgrade over the Angels existing options until Rendon returns. He will fill in as the Angels starting third baseman and provides insurance in case the oft-injured Rendon continues to struggle with injuries. He is in the final guaranteed year of his contract and has a $9 million team option with a $500,000 buyout for 2024.
METS ACQUIRE
Coleman Crow, RHP
Age: 22
The Angels drafted Crow in the 28th round in 2019 out of Pike County (Zebulon, Ga.) High and signed him for an overslot $317,500 bonus— equivalent to fifth-round money—to pass up a Kennesaw State commitment. He rewarded their confidence by making the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game after his first professional season and zipped up quickly to Double-A. He was 2-0, 1.88 with 31 strikeouts and six walks in 24 innings at Double-A Rocket City this season before going on the injured list with elbow inflammation on May 12. Crow is an athletic, 6-foot righthander who sits 91-94 mph on his fastball. His fastball previously was a sinker, but he began throwing elevated fastballs with carry at the top of the zone this season. He has a slight build and still has room to get stronger and throw harder. Crow complements his fastball with a high-spin breaking ball he can vary the shape and power of. He previously threw it as a harder slider in the low 80s more frequently, but this season he began backing off of it to make it a mid-70s curveball with downward snap more often. He rounds out his arsenal with a split-changeup he rarely throws. Crow is a good athlete with promising stuff and solid control, but he wore down badly in the second half of last season and has had elbow problems this season. He has to improve his durability and prove he can hold up as a starter. If not, his fastball and breaking ball give him a chance to be a valuable reliever.
Landon Marceaux, RHP
Age: 23
A third-round pick out of Louisiana State in 2021, Marceaux rose to Double-A in his first full season last year before suffering season-ending back and oblique injuries. He returned to Double-A Rocket City this season and went 3-6, 4.88 with 45 strikeouts and 19 walks in 59 innings. Marceaux is a righthanded command specialist who relies on precision over power. His fastball sits 89-91 mph and tops out at 94 with late sink. He keeps hitters guessing by mixing in a fading, low-80s changeup, low-80s slider and upper-70s curveball. Marceaux relies on changing speeds and locating his stuff on the edges of the plate to draw weak contact. He fills up the strike zone with plus control, but he has little margin for error and gets hit hard when he misses his spots. He projects to be a depth starter or swingman and will begin his Mets career at Double-A Binghamton.
