Around The Halo 6/9/09

The Angels head to Tropicana Field to take on the AL Champion Rays for a three game series. Currently the Angels are 3-3 on the road trip. Unfortunately the same relief and offensive struggles continue to plague the team.

Today is the first day of the MLB Draft. Lyle Spencer of MLB.com and Bill Shaikin of the LA Times give their analysis. Shaikin asks the question, would the Angels be able to pick up a polished college reliever that could help them this season?

You can also take a look at our own 2009 Draft Preview here on Angelswin.com

Trade speculation is heating up surrounding the Angels. Ken Rosenthal speculates that the only destination for Jake Peavy might be the Angels due to the Cubs ownership situation and the Padres unwillingness to deal with the Dodgers. With John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar coming up on free agency it does make a lot of the sense for the Angels to try and acquire a talent like Peavy.

There are also a few MLB teams in need of a short stop and the Angels have an excess of middle infielders. Erick Aybar's name has been brought up.

"The Angels are frustrated with Aybar's inability to maintain his focus, but one scout believes that Aybar might benefit from playing for a manager who is less demanding than Mike Scioscia."

Also fueling the trade speculation is the news that Bees manager Bobby Mitchell was asked to start Brandon Wood at 1B and Sean Rodriguez in CF. This could mean a few things. Perhaps the Angels are unsatisfied with the play of Robb Quinlan and Gary Matthews Jr. off the bench. Mike Scioscia loves versatile players. If Wood and Rodriguez are going to be promoted to the Angels their ability to play a few positions is a must.

In regards to Rodriguez playing CF, it could also be a sign that Torii Hunter is headed to the disabled list with a sore groin.

Torii Hunter has moved up a bit more in the All Star voting but still needs our help.

Angels vs Rays

TV: FS-W
Radio: KLAA 830, KFWB, KWKW 1330

Jered Weaver (5-2, 2.26) vs. James Shields (5-4, 3.40)
John Lackey (1-1, 5.13) vs. Jeff Niemann (5-4, 3.77)

Ervin Santana (1-2, 6.75) vs. David Price (1-0, 2.45)