*Photo from Spectrum News*
For both teams involved, an infield shakeup was necessary, so they made a trade. The Los Angeles Angels have acquired 3B/SS Gio Urshela from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for RHP Alejandro Hidalgo, according to both teams.
The trade for Urshela helps the Angels solidify their infield depth, which they were severely hurt by a lack of it last season. After Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh each suffered season ending injuries, depth became a major problem, with the hope being that Urshela can fill in all over the infield.
Angels GM Perry Minasian said of Urshela that "You’ve heard me say this a lot this offseason, but it’s about depth and protecting ourselves in a lot of different spots. He’s a really good player. He can do a lot of different things. Obviously, his natural position is third base, but we feel like he can play first. He can stand in at second and can even fill in at short. So just the ability to add a player of this caliber to our group of infielders we currently have, we thought it was the right move."
Last season with the Minnesota Twins, Urshela played a career high 144 games in ultimately his only season with the Twins. He ended the season with a .285 batting average and .767 OPS, hitting 13 home runs and driving in 64 runs, adding 27 doubles and 3 triples.
Urshela has spent 7 years in the majors with 4 different teams. Over that time, he has a .275 average and .750 OPS, hitting 62 home runs with 256 RBI's and a .428 slugging percentage in 602 career games. Urshela has a .211 batting average with a .589 OPS, 3 home runs, and 8 RBI's in 22 postseason games.
This offseason is Urshela's final year of arbitration eligibility before hitting free agency at the end of 2023. He's projected to earn $9.2 million in his final arbitration year. He joins the Twins with some New York Yankee connections in manager Phil Nevin and hitting coaches Marcus Thames and Phil Plantier.
Coming back to the Twins is Hidalgo, who wrapped up his second pro season in 2022. He spent the year with Low A Inland Empire, finishing with a 0-3 record, 4.62 ERA, and 1.36 WHIP, throwing 39 innings in 10 starts, striking out 58 hitters.
Minasian said of trading Hidalgo that "It’s always tough to trade young players, especially a great kid with a good arm and a bright future. But at the end of the day, you have to give to get. I think he’s going to have a great career, and hopefully this trade works out for both sides."
With the Angels, Urshela is set up currently to be the backup 3rd baseman with a chance to get starts at shortstop more regularly over Andrew Velazquez. By trading Urshela, the Twins open up the door for Jose Miranda to play 3rd base full time, with Luis Arraez and Alex Kirilloff being the first base options.
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