Angels GM feeling 'no rush' to become deadline seller

Billy Eppler must be the most patient man in the world.

While his Los Angeles Angels were busy dropping 13 games below .500 on Saturday, the general manager was keeping an even keel, and doesn't seem to be in a hurry to open his doors as a trade deadline seller.

"Let's let this club play a little bit longer," Eppler told Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times on Saturday. "There's no rush to make a decision right now."

Eppler is saying the right things despite the fact that his team continues to spiral downward. Saturday's 7-3 loss to Oakland kept the Angels on pace to lose 95 games, which would both match the two worst seasons in franchise history and be the worst campaign of manager Mike Scioscia's 16-year tenure with the club.

One reason the first-year GM wants to see his team perform before committing to a full-fledged teardown, though, would be the injuries. The Angels currently have eight players on the disabled list, though that number was as high as 10 in the middle of May; four of the team's injured players are on the 60-day DL. Three members of the team's Opening Day rotation are out long-term, forcing the team to scramble for viable big-league arms.

"You can point to a number of areas," Eppler said of what's been ailing his struggling team. "We've had to absorb some injuries, pivot and adjust. Losing the front end of the rotation early on has definitely contributed to the position we're in now."

The combination of injury and futility is quickly guiding the Angels toward sell mode, though, no matter what Eppler may say about the matter. At least one report has already linked the Giants, among others, to third baseman Yunel Escobar, who's highly likely to be dealt by the team come Aug. 1.

Eppler does feel his team should be commended for continuing to battle through what's been a trying season.

"You cannot discredit the fight that these guys have day in and day out," the GM said. "They are there, they are grinding. There's been no give-up in guys. That's exactly what I want us to embody - a club that fights."