Sources: Angels reach agreement to acquire Padres reliever Huston Street
The Los Angeles Angels continued their bullpen makeover Friday night when they reached an agreement to acquire veteran reliever Huston Street from the San Diego Padres in a six-player trade, baseball sources told Yahoo Sports.
As the deal was constructed, the Angels would send four minor leaguers – second baseman Taylor Lindsey, right-handed pitcher R.J. Alvarez, infielder Jose Rondon and another prospect – to the Padres in exchange for Street and minor-league right-hander Trevor Gott, a sixth-round selection from 2013. Lindsey and Alvarez are top-10 prospects for the Angels.
Leading to the July 31 trading deadline, the Angels have sought to rebuild their bullpen, with Street, the veteran closer who has converted 24-of-25 save opportunities for the Padres this season, the most critical addition.
Already, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto had acquired right-hander Jason Grilli from the Pittsburgh Pirates and left-hander Joe Thatcher from the Arizona Diamondbacks over eight days in late June and early July.
Street has a 1.09 ERA in 33 appearances. He is due the remainder of $7 million in 2014 with a club option for $7 million in 2015. For his skills and relatively inexpensive contract, Street was among the more attractive bullpen pieces on the market.
Joe Smith, signed by the Angels as a set-up man last winter, has been the club’s regular closer since late June. In 12 appearances since, Smith has 10 saves and has not allowed a run over 11 1/3 innings. The Angels likely would return Smith to the eighth inning.
Though the Angels’ bullpen has been better for several weeks, it was a vulnerable area for the club in the early going. Broader, the Angels’ inability to add or develop bullpen arms has been a primary reason they failed to reach the playoffs for four consecutive years.
