LHP prospect for Goodwin could debut in '20

The Angels made their third and final trade as sellers before Monday's 1 p.m. PT Trade Deadline, sending Brian Goodwin to the Reds for left-hander Packy Naughton and a player to be named or cash. Naughton will head to the club’s alternate training site in Long Beach, Calif., and could be a candidate to join the rotation later this season.

Naughton, 24, was ranked as Cincinnati’s No. 14 prospect by MLB Pipeline and slots in at No. 13 in the Angels' system. He's coming off an impressive 2019 season split between Class A Advanced and Double-A, posting a combined 3.32 ERA with 131 strikeouts, 35 walks and 10 homers allowed in 157 innings. He also has a strong Minor League track record with a 3.59 ERA and 331 strikeouts in 371 innings since being selected by the Reds in the ninth round of the 2017 Draft out of Virginia Tech.

"We're going to have him come over to Long Beach and kind of put our hands on him a little bit and see,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. “But as a guy that was in Double-A last year, I mean, it gives a pretty short ETA to the big leagues. But I'm not going to try to say when. But the fact that he's in the upper Minors and will get some time in with us this year, we'll see where it goes."

Goodwin, 29, was hitting .242/.330/.463 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games this season. He was originally claimed off waivers from the Royals before last season, and he has fared well over the last two years, batting a combined .258/.327/.469 with 36 doubles, four triples, 21 homers and 64 RBIs in 166 games. Goodwin will be eligible to become a free agent after the 2022 season.

"I like the way he plays," Angels manager Joe Maddon said. "I think he plays the game well and hard. He's a good player. And when he gets hot, he could get real toasty. He's a better outfielder than I knew, and he runs the bases well. He's a pretty complete player. I like him. He's a great teammate. He's the kind of guy that you will miss when he's not here."

Goodwin, though, became expendable because of the Angels’ outfield depth, with rookie Jo Adell taking over as the everyday right fielder. Fellow top prospect Brandon Marsh could also make his debut this season, while Justin Upton remains under contract through 2022. Taylor Ward and Michael Hermosillo can also fill in as extra outfielders, but Hermosillo will need to be re-added to the 40-man roster.

"Obviously, it can be augmented," Maddon said. "We still have guys that are in Long Beach that can help, but I like a lot what J-Up is doing right now. Adell didn't have his best day today, but he will again, and we have Trouty. So we do need to fill that out a little bit as we move forward. We'll figure it out."

Goodwin became the third Angels player to be traded, joining second baseman Tommy La Stella and catcher Jason Castro. La Stella was dealt to the A’s for infielder Franklin Barreto on Saturday, while Castro was sent to the Padres for hard-throwing reliever Gerardo Reyes on Sunday. Barreto is still undergoing COVID-19 protocols before joining the team, while Reyes will head to Long Beach like Naughton. Reyes dealt with a non-coronavirus illness that kept him out of action this year, but he is now healthy.

"Glad to be able to get talent in the door,” Eppler said. “In the case with Jason Castro and Tommy La Stella, that was for guys that were going to be coming off at the end or were set to be free agents. So to be able to add some value to the organization for them was important. But we weren't going to just let guys kind of walk out the door. If we found deals that made sense, we were going to do them and if they didn't, we weren't."

The Angels, however, didn’t trade right-hander Dylan Bundy or shortstop Andrelton Simmons. Bundy has been their most consistent starter and remains under contract through next season. Simmons is set to be a free agent, but the Halos could extend a qualifying offer to him after the season. Eppler said clubs also checked in on left-hander Andrew Heaney, but like Bundy, he’s under control through next year.

"There were people inquiring on Dylan and Andrew and Simba, but things didn't match up, didn't materialize,” Eppler said. “Those guys, at least in Bundy and Heaney's case, I mean they impact the 2021 rotation. It had to be a compelling return for us to do anything with them, and nothing matched up, so glad to keep them because they are important to our rotation.”

The Angels also called up infield prospect Jahmai Jones for the first time to take Goodwin’s roster spot. Jones, ranked as the club’s No. 8 prospect, batted .234/.308/.324 with 22 doubles, three triples, five homers and 50 RBIs in 130 games at Double-A Mobile last year.

“The reports that we were getting out of Blair Field were really good on him,” Eppler said. “And some of the batted information that we also are able to ascertain was really strong as well, so glad for him to be able to get this opportunity.”