Teixeira Traded to Angels

Mark Teixeira won't be hurting the Phillies any time soon. Instead, he is headed back to the American League. His new team is the division rival of his former team, the Texas Rangers.

As the trade deadline approaches, the Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem and the Atlanta Braves worked out a deal. Mark Teixeira will be headed to the Angels in exchange for first baseman Casey Kotchman, and Minor League pitcher Stephen Marek.

With Mark Teixeira no longer hitting those "knock-out blows" against the Phillies, the Phils will now have to deal with Kotchman. In the Angels visit to Citizens Bank Park in June, Kotchman was 3-11 including a homerun off Cole Hamels, which was the difference in the game.

Teixeira is batting .283 with 20 homeruns and 78 RBI. He has a .390 OBP, .512 SLG, giving him a .902 OPS. Not only does he put up the offense, but he gives Gold Glove defense. Tex has only committed 2 errors this season.

Kotchman is batting .287 with 12 homeruns and 54 RBIs. He has a .327 OBP, .448 SLG, with a .774 OPS. Like Teixeira, Kotchman has only committed 2 errors.

There's no question that Teixiera is the better player in the deal. That is why the Angels threw in 25 year old Marek. In AA Arkansas, he is 2-6 with a 3.66 ERA in 34 relief appearance.

The Angels benefited big time from this trade. They needed another bat in their lineup. They have the pitching, and now they have another bat to go with Vladimir Guerrero. The Angels already have the best record in baseball, and have a comfortable 11.5 game lead in the AL West. In my opinion, this move makes them an easy pick for a World Series favorite. On the other hand, it shows that the Braves are sellers at this trade deadline.