DENVER – The Los Angeles Angels acquired veteran Colorado infielder Mike Moustakas shortly after their game 25-1 win over the Rocky Mountains on Saturday night.
The Rockies got minor league right-hander Connor Van Scoyoc, who was 4-3 at Class A Tri-City this season with a 2.76 ERA in 11 starts.
Moustakas hit .270 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 47 games with the Rockies after joining them in spring training.
The move marks a return home for the Los Angeles native, who has never played further west than Colorado in his 12-year MLB career.
“Being traded to the Angels is great,” Moustakas said Sunday ahead of the series finale between his former team and his new one. “I get to go home.” I get to play with some phenomenal baseball players here and have a chance to win. That’s what we’re trying to do. That’s what I’ve always tried. I’m really excited to have this opportunity again.”
Moustakas said he was briefed on the swap by Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt before Saturday’s game, which gave him an opportunity to go to the clubhouse and say goodbye to his Colorado teammates.
“It’s sad,” Moustakas said. “It’s a great squad over there.” They gave me the opportunity to come back this year and play in Major League Baseball. I will be eternally grateful for that. I’ve made some really good friends. I will miss these guys very much. It’s a great group. We had lots of fun. Obviously we didn’t play as well as we should and wanted to, but this is a great squad. It will be a good team here in the future.”
Moustakas, who signed a four-year, $64 million deal with the Reds in 2019, struggled with injuries and poor performance during his three years at Cincinnati, scoring .216 in 184 games before being released by the club in January. Two months later, the Rockies signed him to a minor league contract.
“I know I can still play this game, especially if I’m healthy,” Moustakas said. “The last few years haven’t been great for me, but I feel good. I feel healthy.”
After playing a third of the season with the bottom-ranked Rockies, he will join an Angels team firmly in playoff contention.
Moustakas, a three-time All-Star, was on five playoff teams and was the starting third baseman for Kansas City when the Royals won the 2015 World Series.
“We’re going to mix and match everything,” Angels manager Phil Nevin, whose team lost infielders Anthony Rendon, Gio Urshela and Zach Neto to injuries over the past two weeks, said Saturday night. “This week the lineup didn’t have the depth that we’ve had all season. We feel like we have that now.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb And https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed, or redistributed without permission.
