The MLB trade rumor mill is spinning hard with the winter meetings going on and now reports are coming out about a Mark Trumbo deal for the Angels and it could include the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago White Sox, as the teams may be interested in signing Shin-Soo Choo to a free agent deal.
According to ESPN.com and Hardball Talk, the deal is working its way right now and could include the White Sox after it first was reported that the Angels and the Diamondbacks were talking. The Diamondbacks appear to be the center of the action, as they are trying to snag either Trumbo or Choo and if the trade falls through that could be their backup option. The report says that the Diamondbacks could be willing to part with both Trevor Cahill and Tyler Skaggs for Trumbo, who is a solid hitter with power, but he was a bit marginalized last season and he is not an above average defender either.
Skaggs could be a nice snag at the age of 22, as he has some solid numbers from last season and that would also let the D-Backs avoid paying Choo a $100-million plus deal, which is what the market is telling teams. Choo is a very good player, but that is a high price and this type of deal could be big for the Angels, as they have been looking for pitching all offseason and said they would be willing to deal for it.
According to Hardball Talk, the White Sox are getting involved and they could add Hector Santiago to Anaheim, while the Diamondbacks get Trumbo and the White Sox get outfielder Adam Eaton and Skaggs also still could be involved. Skaggs went 4-9 with a 3.56 ERA in 23 starts and 11 relief appearances last season in the bigs and since he had a small salary that could be a good fit with Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson and Garrett Richards and they need pitching.
Alejandro De Aza could also get moved according to the report and the Diamondbacks are very motivated to get a hitter, either Trumbo or Choo. De Aza had 17 homers and 20 steals last season and he could be in the mix as well.
