Angels acquire Cesar Ramos from Rays for Mark Sappington

The Angels have made their second trade of today, acquiring left-hander Cesar Ramos from the Rays in exchange for right-hander Mark Sappington. This comes on the heels of a deal with the Astros, in which the Angels sent catcher Hank Conger to Houston for right-hander Nick Tropeano and catcher Carlos Perez.

Ramos, 30, has been a mainstay in the Rays' bullpen for the last four years and posted a 3.70 ERA in 82.2 innings last season while making seven starts for the team. He has been an effective bullpen piece throughout his career, posting a 3.79 ERA in 176 games as a reliever compared to his career 4.46 mark in ten starts. He will likely take the place of free agent left-hander Joe Thatcher in the Angels' bullpen, joining southpaws Michael Roth and Tyler Skaggs.

Sappington, who turns 24 at the end of the month, was the Angels' fifth round pick in the 2012 draft and was slated as the Angels' eleventh best prospect by MLB.com at the time of the trade. The tall right-hander struggled in 33 appearances (8 starts) with High-A Inland Empire on the season, posting a 3-7 record and 5.66 ERA to raise his lifetime professional ERA to 4.61 in less than three seasons. MLB.com notes that Sappington has an effective fastball that can reach up to 97 mph, but that he has struggled consistently finding the strike zone throughout his pro career.