For the fourth straight offseason, outfielder Hunter Renfroe changed teams this winter, coming to the Angels from the Brewers in a trade for Janson Junk, Elvis Peguero, and Adam Seminaris. The Halos will be Renfroe's fifth team in the last five seasons.
The trade between LA and Milwaukee was an interesting one. Junk and Peguero are both intriguing pitchers who've shown some promise, although neither has put it together in the big leagues yet. Seminaris pitched at three levels last year, dominating in High-A but struggling in Double-A and Triple-A. Renfroe, meanwhile, was worth 2.7 WAR last year after hitting 29 homers and posting a 126 OPS+ for the Brewers.
MLB insider Jim Bowden graded some of the big moves of the offseason, and with this trade, the Angels come out looking better than the Brewers in his view.
Angels traded RHP Janson Junk, RHP Elvis Peguero and LHP Adam Seminaris to Brewers for Hunter Renfroe
Trade grades: Angels — B; Brewers — C-minus
The Angels added more power to their lineup at a relatively reasonable cost with Renfroe, who will be a free agent after this season. It was a smart move. Renfroe hit 60 home runs over the past two seasons with the Red Sox and Brewers. Last year, he batted .255 with a .315 on-base percentage and a career-high 126 OPS+. In the outfield, he flashes above-average defense but overall is average at best in right field.
According to Bowden, this was purely a salary dump from the Brewers' standpoint, so it's not hard to win a trade like that. Simply don't be a cheapskate, and you win!
Simply put, the Angels won't miss any of the three guys they traded, and Renfroe is, at the very least, a solid depth piece, and probably more.
More must-reads: