by Richard Rowell, Sports Break

The Los Angeles Angels definitely didn't waste time in beginning their 2016-2017 offseason! They traded minor league pitcher Victor Alcantara to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Cameron Maybin.

While Maybin had some injury issues in 2016, he actually put up some strong numbers in 94 games. He had a .315/.383/.418 batting line with 4 HR and 43 RBI. He also had 15 stolen bases. While he wasn't an asset defensively, he was still a very useful player.

Alcantara had a pedestrian season in Double-A, so on the surface this trade doesn't look very good for the Tigers. Apparently, their scouts believe in him and the Angels definitely could Maybin in left field. This isn't exactly selling high, though. It looks like the Angels made a really good deal here, although they will be paying him $9 million. The Tigers really were just looking to clear payroll here and get an arm with upside. If he provides the same kind of value in 2017, though, he'll be well worth that paycheck.

It's been known that the Atlanta Braves were shopping their Gold Glove shortstop Andrelton Simmons. But the return that they ended up with is seemingly less than anticipated. Last night, the Los Angeles Angels acquired Simmons for their own shortstop Erick Aybar (who's a free agent after the 2016 season), their top pitching prospect in Sean Newcomb, and another potential starter in Chris Ellis. The Angels also get a low-minors catcher in the deal for organizational depth.

Obviously, the Braves thought it was a good time to sell high on the best defensive shortstop in the game. While lefty Sean Newcomb has potential to be a top-line starting pitcher and Chris Ellis could be a decent rotation piece, this seems like an underwhelming return. The Braves do get Erick Aybar coming off a down year and going into a contract year, so they get an obvious replacement for at least 2016.

The primary motivation for the Braves here seems to be saving money. Simmons is due $53 million over the next five years, which if his defensive value continues to remain so extraordinary, isn't all that bad. The issue is more with his offense, and if his bat will start to take too much away from his overall value to keep him an above-average regular. The Braves figure that they'll move on and get a couple of arms to add to the stockpile. While I feel like this is a move that could come back to haunt the Braves, it's obvious that the Angels really, really love Simmons' glove and with their own shortstop a free agent after 2016, you're not going to find a better option on the free agent market.

The "Thrill of Victorino" has definitely become a distant memory for Red Sox Nation. Shane Victorino was a huge part of the 2013 World Champion Red Sox team, but since then, he's been plagued by injuries. It's not like prognosticators didn't see this coming. So for the Red Sox to acquire anything for Victorino was going to be a win at this point. The Sox found a taker, the Los Angeles Angels. In exchange for him and about $3-4 million to cover the $4.5 million or so remaining on Victorino's contract, the Red Sox will acquire infielder Josh Rutledge.

Victorino probably isn't going to be much more than a bench bat for the Angels, probably to platoon with current Angels' left fielder Matt Joyce. It's good for him, though, as the Sox have had the hot Alejandro De Aza playing right field lately, and the Sox needed to make room for Rusney Castillo, who's been stuck at AAA Pawtucket for most of the season. Shane gets to go to a contender rather than be mired in last place.

The Sox receive only minimal salary relief, but really, what they were really after was Rutledge. While the infielder had a nice offensive showing in 2012 with the Rockies, he's a bat-first player. He's a career -11 DRS second baseman and -20 DRS shortstop. Perhaps the Sox are hoping they can fix his defensive woes; they did it with Xander Bogaerts, after all. If Rutledge becomes just passable on defense, he could be a very useful player. While Rutledge is arbitration eligible after this season, it's doubtful he'll get much of a raise his first time through as he's spent the 2015 season so far in AAA. To his credit, he's performed fairly (.727 OPS).

Really, what this comes down to is the Sox getting future value while giving up a short-term asset. Rutledge probably would have been a non-tender candidate for the Angels this off-season anyway. This way, the Sox can see if he can live up to his offensive potential while helping him to be a better infielder. There's really nothing to lose on either end of this deal.

Will Rutledge be more Brock Holt (utility all-star) or Jonathan Herrera (replacement level disappointment)? Maybe he'll be something in between, but he's worth the shot. Victorino can still play some defense, although he's not what he was, but he's better than what they've had. The Angels needed outfield depth, and Victorino was the most obvious and cheapest upgrade.