Yesterday, Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports reported that the Los Angeles Angels and the Pittsburgh Pirates had discussed a trade that would have sent Garrett Jones to the Angels, and catcher Jeff Mathis to the Pirates. Mathis has a .195/.241/.286 line at the plate this year, and isn’t exactly the best defensive catcher, with a 23% caught stealing rate this season. Morosi mentioned that the Pirates decided they couldn’t part with Jones and his power, which broke down the trade talks.
It’s unknown if this would have been a one-for-one swap. Such a deal wouldn’t make sense for the Pirates, as Jones has more value than Mathis. I would also guess that, with the recent performance of Michael McKenry, the Pirates probably aren’t looking as hard for a catching replacement. However, the fact that Anaheim was interested in Jones is interesting, as it’s the second year in a row the Angels have pursued Jones.
Last year, the Angels asked about Jones, only to be told that the Pirates wanted Macier Izturis in return. Considering that the Angels have been linked to Jones two years in a row, I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear another rumor. At the same time, it seems like the Pirates have a higher value of Jones than the Angels do, which means that no future deal would be guaranteed.
