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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Angels, in need of infield depth after recent injuries, acquired veteran Eduardo Escobar from the New York Mets in exchange for two minor league starting pitchers on Friday.
Right-handers Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux, ranked 19th and 20th in the Angels’ system, respectively, per MLB.com, will be sent to the Mets’ system as part of the deal.
The Mets will pay all but the pro-rated league minimum in Escobar’s salary, which calls for $9.5 million in the potential final year of his deal. Escobar’s contract also has a $9 million club option for 2024.
Mets manager Buck Showalter said he informed Escobar of the trade during the second inning of Friday night’s 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, the team’s third in a row (34-41).
“It’s tough,” Showalter said. “It’s always a reminder of the business of the game. … It’s a tough conversation. I wish I had more time to spend with him.”
Escobar, a 34-year-old switch-hitter, is hitting .236/.286/.409 with four home runs in 120 games this season. He lost most of his playing time at third base to highly rated prospect Brett Baty.
A .254/.307/.435 hitter in his 13-year major league career, Escobar can also play second base and, in a pinch, shortstop. With the Angels, he will have to replace Gio Urshela, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken pelvis. The Angels also have third baseman Anthony Rendon (wrist contusion) and shortstop Zach Neto (oblique strain) on the injured list.
“I think the thing that makes it so sweet is it’s a good place for him, a good place for him to rebuild himself as the player that we know he can be,” said said Showalter. “So we’re happy for him and the opportunity he’s going to get, but obviously we’re going to miss being with him.”
Crow, 22, and Marceaux, 23, both pitched in Double-A this season. Crow posted a 1.88 ERA in his first four starts but hasn’t pitched since late April.
The Mets also optioned struggling right-hander Tylor Megill to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, two days after he gave up 4 runs, 5 hits and 4 walks in 2⅓ innings Wednesday in a 10-8 loss to the Mets. Houston.
Megill is 6-4 with a 5.17 ERA in 15 starts for the Mets this season.
