Hank Conger looked like he might be on his way to taking over the starting catcher job at the end of 2013. Then 2014 happened. Conger forgot how to hit and the Angels seemed to lose faith in him. They lost so much faith, in fact, that they just traded him to the Astros:
Today the club acquired RHP Nick Tropeano and C Carlos Perez from the @astros in exchange for C Hank Conger.
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) November 5, 2014
That’s a pretty solid deal, all things considered. Tropeano is a pretty decent starting pitching prospect. He is a bit under the radar, but he’s a guy with a plus changeup and very good command. That’ll certainly play in the majors (just ask Matt Shoemaker). As such, expect Tropeano to be in the mix for a rotation spot in training camp, especially if Garrett Richards isn’t ready to go on Opening Day.
The one hole this does leave in the Angels’ roster is at back-up catcher. Carlos Perez could be in contention there, but that would be awfully risky. Expect the Angels to kick the tires on some low-cost free agents. Even with that, this still looks like a very solid deal for Dipoto to start the Angels offseason.
As for Hank, he and his antics will be missed:
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