A four-year Angels career marked mostly by unrealized potential came to an abrupt end Saturday night when first baseman C.J. Cron, a first-round pick out of Utah in 2011, was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later.
Cron, 28, reached the big leagues in 2014 but spent parts of the last four seasons in the minor leagues. He was out of options this spring, meaning he would have to clear waivers for the team to send him back to triple-A Salt Lake.
With a lighter, leaner and healthier Albert Pujols expected to play more first base this season so that Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani can start at designated hitter two or three times a week, and with the left-handed-hitting Luis Valbuena sharing time with Pujols, Cron figured to have a reduced role.