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The short summary: The Angels like money. Money helps them sign good players, who cost a lot of money. The Angels traded someone who cost them a lot of money.
The Zack Cozart era in Anaheim is over.
The Angels have traded Zack Cozart and Will Wilson to the Giants for cash and a PBTNL, source tells The Athletic.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) December 10, 2019
You can insert all the “It’s Happening” memes you want, because it could, quite honestly, be happening. The Zack Cozart signing was a good process, but unfortunately, the results didn’t quite hold up. He was due over $12 million in 2020.
With the Zack Cozart trade, the Angels have freed up an extra $12.67 million in salary, taking their estimated 2020 luxury tax payroll down to roughly $142 million.
— Devan Fink (@DevanFink) December 10, 2019
The trade cost them Will Wilson, their 2019 first round draft pick.
The Angels wanted that $12 million in 2020. It cost them an asset. Read about when we first drafted shortstop Will Wilson and the reactions that came with it.
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According to Baseball Trade Values, the Angels came out on top here. I’m inclined to agree, taking the Sunk Cost Fallacy into account (Wilson was the 15th overall pick in 2019).
Several of our writers traded Cozart in our If I Were Eppler series, presumably for the same reason the Angels did in real life.
Let’s see what happens next. Hopefully this one doesn’t come back to bite us.