Salt Lake shuffle: Ryan Madson, Luis Jimenez, Kole Calhoun, Barry Enright in; Bill Hall out.

If you’ve flown between John Wayne airport and Salt Lake City at any point this season, your odds of bumping into an Angels player are pretty high. The Angels have been busy burning a path from Anaheim to their Triple-A affiliate, having used 36 batters and 20 pitchers this season — both tied for second in the league.

Sunday might have been the busiest day of them all.
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What is the Angels’ ‘greatest advantage’ to trading Vernon Wells?

Vernon Wells

Vernon Wells couldn’t be moved easily for a fifth outfielder (Associated Press photo)

 

With six days left before Opening Day, the Angels have 36 players on their 40-man roster. Brad Mills, Bobby Cassevah, Steve Geltz and now Vernon Wells have all left camp one way or another.

That means four players have a way of working their way onto the Angels’ roster, including some who will start the season in the majors. That was by design, general manager Jerry Dipoto said Tuesday.

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A Vernon Wells non-update: Angels-to-Yankees deal still pending physical.

Vernon WellsThe proposed trade that would send Vernon Wells to the New York Yankees still isn’t complete. Multiple sources have confirmed reports that Wells won’t take his physical until Tuesday, at which point the trade can become official.

We still don’t know what the Angels will receive from the Yankees in return for Wells, other than something in the neighborhood of $6-8 million per year over the next two years. That’s a nice chunk of change but it still only partially offsets the approximately $42 million left on Wells’ contract.

For the Angels, trading Wells opens a spot for Kole Calhoun or J.B. Shuck to earn the fourth outfielder job. Shuck doubled Monday to raise his Cactus League batting average to .357; Calhoun is batting .200.

More updates as we get ’em, but there might not be any until tomorrow.

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Angels spring training preview: Outfielders

Peter Bourjos

Is there a more talented collection of outfielders than the Angels’ Mike Trout, Peter Bourjos and Josh Hamilton? Maybe in Los Angeles. Maybe in Cleveland.

Regardless, the starting three in Anaheim are rather enviable. The glaring issues: New center fielder Peter Bourjos batted just .220 in a platoon situation last year, fourth outfielder Vernon Wells has hit .222 since coming to Anaheim, and there isn’t much depth after that. The NRIs in this group don’t pose a serious threat to make the opening-day roster, but one or more could move up with an outstanding spring. Otherwise it’s a long dropoff from the starters to the bench.

Here’s what to watch for in spring:

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