Seventeen months ago, the Angels jettisoned a young pitcher they had doted on to acquire a player they called their third baseman of the future.
Monday, they designated that player for assignment, proving once again that one general manager’s coup is another general manager’s rubble.
Jerry Dipoto was elated to acquire Kyle Kubitza. Billy Eppler willingly removed him from the Angels’ 40-man roster in favor of another reliever.
In January 2015, the Angels parted ways with highly regarded teenage left-hander Ricardo Sanchez to wrestle Kubitza from the Atlanta Braves. They also added minor league right-hander Nate Hyatt, who has since retired.