Yesterday, the Angels traded their starting catcher Martín Maldonado to the Astros in a deal that was reported by both beat writer Jeff Fletcher and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
The Angels are getting LHP Patrick Sandoval, 21. He has a career 3.88 ERA in the minors. 11th-round pick in 2015. He’s in A ball.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) July 26, 2018
The trade, in summation:
HOU gets:
C Martín Maldonado
LAA gets:
LHP Patrick Sandoval
$250,000 in international bonus pool money
While the move itself might catch some as off-guard, the rationale behind it is quite sound.