The Angels have acquired first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Rockies in exchange for pitching prospects Jake Madden (Angels’ No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline) and Mason Albright (No. 28). The Rockies are also sending about $2 million in cash to the Angels in the deal, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
Cron and Grichuk are both former Angels first-round Draft picks -- Grichuk was selected 24th overall in 2009, and Grichuk was the 17th overall pick in ’11.
TRADE DETAILS
Angels get: OF Randal Grichuk, 1B C.J. Cron
Rockies get: RHP Jake Madden, LHP Mason Albright
Cron, 33, made his MLB debut for the Halos and played for them from 2014-17, posting a .756 OPS with 59 home runs in 408 games. Grichuk, who turns 32 on Aug. 13, was traded to the Cardinals in the deal that brought David Freese to Anaheim in 2013.
Both veterans found some success in their time with Colorado.
After the Angels traded Cron to the Rays for Luis Rengifo in 2018, he had two solid seasons with Tampa Bay before signing as a free agent with the Tigers prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. He only appeared in 13 games for Detroit before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. The Rockies signed him to a Minor League contract in February 2021.
Cron immediately made an impact for Colorado, posting a .905 OPS (129 OPS+) with 28 homers in 142 games in 2021. Last season, he launched 29 homers and earned his first All-Star selection, though a hand injury hurt his production later in the season -- he finished with a .783 OPS (107 OPS+).
Cron has struggled most of this season amid back issues that have plagued him off-and-on. Overall, he has a .780 OPS with 11 homers, though he has heated up at the plate recently -- since coming off the injured list on June 27, he’s hitting .319 with three doubles and five home runs.
Grichuk, meanwhile, has been red-hot at the plate. He’s hitting .350 with three doubles and six homers in July. The recent power surge has been notable given that he only had two homers on the season coming into the month.
Prior to joining the Rockies in 2022, Grichuk played four seasons for the Cardinals and four with the Blue Jays, posting a .765 OPS with 156 homers in 883 games.
The pitchers the Angels parted with in the deal were both at Single-A. Madden was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 Draft out of Northwest Florida State College. The 21-year-old right-hander had a 5.46 ERA in 14 starts for Inland Empire this season.
At 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds, Madden has yet to fill out his frame and has a heavy, ground ball-inducing fastball that touches 98 mph -- likely a trait that intrigued the Rockies, who like to keep the ball on the ground at Coors Field.
The Angels selected Albright in the 12th round of the 2021 Draft out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., making him the only high school pitcher chosen among the 20 pitchers the Halos selected that year. The 20-year-old left-hander pitched to a 3.62 ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts) for Inland Empire this season.
Angels acquire C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk - MLB.com
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