The return the Angels need for Upton

It seems like ever since Mike Trout has entered the league, the narrative has been that the Angels are wasting Trout's talent and not surrounding him with a playoff potential team.

After having arm problems in previous seasons, Shohei Ohtani is making a significant impact in the league with him being healthy and finally maximizing his two-way potential. Unfortunately with Ohtani’s success, he has also been added to the narrative where the Angels are wasting his talents as well.

One player that could bring great assets to change that narrative is Justin Upton. Upton is currently slashing a .219/.302/.462, which would add significant value to any playoff team looking for a bat at the trade deadline. Upton has also shown versatility with his bat by being able to have success in the leadoff spot. In the leadoff spot, in 10 games, he has slashed .316/.386/.632 with three home runs.

There's no question that the offense that the Angels have is good enough to compete with any other team when they average 4.55 runs per game while the league average is 4.37.

(Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

However, the pitching is a different story. The Angels are the fourth-worstwhen it comes to allowing runs per game. They allow 5.21 runs per game while the league average is 4.37.

Getting rid of Upton through a trade won't hurt the Halos because their number one prospect who saw the MLB roster last year, Jo Adell, crushes the ball in Triple-A. In 26 games, Adell is slashing .276/.328/.733 and leading the league in Home runs with 15.

Adell struggled last year in the MLB, batting .161/.212/.266 in 124 at-bats, but it seems like Adell has learned and is ready to redeem himself.

Adell’s batting stance has changed dramatically where he has little to no pre-pitch movement and shortening up his leg kick, keeping a straightforward, simple approach to drive and make solid contact with the ball.

Angels should trade Upton now since his value has grown from last year, with his numbers being better than last year. It is safe to say that Adell will be coming up this year with his impressive numbers.

The bottom line is the Angels must trade Upton for the pitching they so desperately need, and promote Adell to Upton’s spot.