ANAHEIM, Calif. _ The Angels traded infielder Tommy La Stella to the Oakland Athletics on Friday night, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement who wasn't authorized to publicly comment.
It became apparent that La Stella was on the move when he emerged from the clubhouse during the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium. He began tapping teammates and coaches on the shoulder. He even left the dugout to hug players who were sitting in the stands.
La Stella, whom the Angels acquired from the Chicago Cubs ahead of the 2019 season, enjoyed a breakout in Anaheim. He became a first-time All-Star last year at second base and this season became a reliable option at first base.
La Stella, a pending free agent, goes from the last-place Angels, who entered Friday at 10-22, to the A's, who started the day atop the American League West with a 22-10 record.
In exchange, the Angels will receive infielder Franklin Barreto.
La Stella came to the Angels in an under-the-radar trade and emerged as a steady contributor. In 2019, he batted .300, belted 16 homers and drove in 44 runs before fouling a ball off his shin a week before the All-Star game. The right tibia fracture required more than two months of recovery. He completed his rehabilitation in time to play two of the final three games of the season.
La Stella spent the offseason working with Angels strength coach Lee Fiocchi and improving his flexibility. After the coronavirus outbreak forced sports to shut down in March, La Stella returned to the same schedule he kept in the winter.
"He earned his stripes last year," said manager Joe Maddon, who used La Stella as a pinch-hitter during their time in Chicago.
La Stella is batting .273 with a .845 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and 14 RBIs in 28 games this season. He has four homers, including a walk-off against San Francisco on Aug. 17. It was the first of his career.
La Stella had been searching for his power stroke. He wasn't elevating pitches as he did last year and his average launch angle had dipped slightly to 11.9 degrees.
La Stella's launch angle is now 16.2 degrees, three degrees higher than last year.
"Just had to go back and simplify it," he said after the Giants game, "and remember to just get a good pitch and the results should take care of themselves."
