Despite making two of the biggest moves in the offseason, the Los Angeles Angels still look like they're going to be active in the trade market. Signing C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols to mega contracts haven't been enough for the Angels, as they sit five games back of the Rangers in the AL West.
Still, the Angels are certainly in contention, and they're currently the Wild Card leaders -- and they're looking to bolster their roster before the July 31 trade deadline.
It appears that Los Angeles has interest in acquiring Minnesota's Francisco Liriano, who may be one of the cheaper starting pitchers available -- at least compared to Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke and Matt Garza.
Since returning to the rotation May 30, Liriano is 3-3 with a 2.83 ERA in 57 1/3 innings. In other words, he's pitched better than fellow left-hander Hamels over the same number of starts. That is why the Blue Jays and Angels, among other clubs, are showing interest.
The best part: Liriano has less than $3 million on his contract for the rest of this season, making him cheaper than Hamels, Greinke and Dempster. All of them, like Liriano, will be free agents after this year.
Liriano has the potential to be dominant, and he's flashed that dominance since returning to the rotation, as Morosi points out. A team that makes a move for Liriano might very well be adding an impact pitcher, and the Angels are certainly aware of this.
A rotation featuring Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana and Francisco Liriano could be quite scary -- assuming, of course, Haren, Santana and Liriano are healthy and pitching well.