As the Los Angeles Angels faithful await word on the destination of free agent Trevor Bauer, general manager Perry Minasian made his second starting pitching acquisition of the winter. The team has reached an agreement to acquire right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for infielder Jahmai Jones.
The Angels are sending infielder Jahmai Jones to the Orioles in the Alex Cobb trade, sources tell me and @Ken_Rosenthal
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 1, 2021
Cobb’s current contract includes some deferred salary that complicates the trade and will require MLB approval before becoming official. This transaction follows the Angels’ signing of former Chicago southpaw Jose Quintana last week.
Alex Cobb is in the final season of a four-year, $57 million contract he signed with Baltimore prior to the 2018 season. He is owed $15 million in 2021, of which more than half will be covered by Baltimore. Cobb’s pending acquisition also marks the second straight offseason in which the Angels added an Orioles starter to their staff. Last winter, the team added Dylan Bundy, who went on to lead the 2020 Angels staff with a 6-3 record and 3.29 ERA en route to finishing ninth in American League Cy Young voting. The Angels will be hopeful a similar change of scenery will benefit Cobb this year.
Prior to the 2018 season, the Angels pursued Cobb before he signed with the Orioles. He struggled to the tune of a 5-15, 4.90 ERA debut season in Baltimore before blister issues sidelined him. A lumbar strain and eventual hip surgery limited Cobb to only three starts during the 2019 season.
The 33-year-old Cobb saw his best seasons come during his early years with the Tampa Bay Rays. In Florida, he compiled a 48-35 record and 3.50 ERA across 115 starts during six seasons. The Angels will look for Cobb to replicate the positive signs he has shown throughout his career. In 2020, Cobb started 10 games, posting a 4.30 ERA with a fastball averaging 93 mph. He complemented his heater with an 87 mph splitter that had 37 percent whiff rate.
Cobb provides the Angels with an additional depth piece for a pitching staff that lacks a true ace. The Angels will now begin the month of February, two weeks shy of Spring Training, with Alex Cobb joining Dylan Bundy, Jose Quintana, Andrew Heaney, Griffin Canning, and Shohei Ohtani in the starting rotation.
The Angels are also the most logical destination for top free agent Trevor Bauer. The former Cincinnati Reds starter is a Southern California native and UCLA alumni. While it remains to be seen how the acquisition of Cobb will affect the Angels’ pursuit of Bauer, it does appear that Minasian is adding depth to the starting pitching staff in preparation for the free agent’s decision.
Jahmai Jones, heading to Baltimore, was the Angels’ second-round selection in the 2015 MLB Draft. Originally an outfielder, Jones converted to second base at Double-A in 2018. He made his MLB debut for the Angels last season. His father, Andre Jones, played for the Detroit Lions. Brothers Malachi and T.J. Jones and both followed their father’s footsteps with their own football careers. The baseball-playing Jones will go into camp competing for a spot in the Orioles’ 2021 infield.
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