Angels predicted to trade All-Star infielder to World Series contender at deadline

Angels predicted to trade All-Star infielder to World Series contender at deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Angels are slowly falling out of postseason contention. Naturally, that could make them one of the trade deadline's most aggressive sellers.

There have been countless Mike Trout rumors, even though the future Hall of Fame center fielder has a no-trade clause in his contract.

Instead of Trout, the Angels could turn their attention to players with expiring contracts. In the infield, Los Angeles has an All-Star utility man who could be a valuable piece for any contending team.

"[Adam] Frazier isn't flashy, and he certainly won't fetch a haul for Los Angeles. But he's also exactly the kind of player that every World Series hopeful wants to have on their bench for the stretch run, a lefty utility man who can play all over the diamond and serve as a pinch-runner late in games," FanSided's Chris Landers wrote Sunday.

Frazier, an All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021, has a .733 OPS with a homer and six RBIs in 70 trips to the plate with the Angels. The veteran has been traded three times in his career and has played for six different organizations since his final half-season with the Pirates.

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"He's also been surprisingly solid at the plate this season, with a 106 OPS+, and teams need guys that can plug as many holes as possible," Landers added about Fraizer. "He's exactly the sort of rental veteran that rebuilding teams sign for one-year deals specifically so they can flip them at the deadline."

The Angels must have been thinking the same thing this offseason when they signed Frazier to a $1.75 million contract.