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Angels trade rumors: Jerry DiPoto looking for offense, could target Adam Lind

The Angels may hit the trade market in an effort to upgrade their struggling offense.

Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels are preparing to look at outside options to upgrade their struggling offense, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

As a team, the Angels are 27th in baseball with a wRC+ of 83, and that includes Mike Trout, who has a wRC+ of 179. The Angels have just three players, Trout, Kole Calhoun and David Freese, with an OPS over .700 and only five with an OPS over .600, including Johnny Giavotella and Albert Pujols.

One player Fletcher speculates may be a target for the Angels is Brewers first baseman/outfielder Adam Lind:

A 31-year-old outfielder/first baseman with the Milwaukee Brewers, Lind is hitting .318 with six homers and a .987 OPS. He has a career .800 OPS, including .866 against right-handers. Lind, who spent most of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, is signed for $7.5 million this year, with a team option for $8 million for 2016.

Lind would likely split time at first base and designated hitter with Pujols and C.J. Cron, both right-handed hitters. Bot have struggled this season, especially Cron who has hit .195/.221/.280 in 25 games.

Fletcher says another possibility for the Angels could be Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who could replace the struggling Matt Joyce as a left-handed bat in the outfield. Joyce is hitting just .140/.182/.215 in 30 games in 2015.

The Angels have also been the victims of some bad luck so far this season, as a quarter of their games so far have been against Sonny Gray, Dallas Kuechel, Nick Martinez and Felix Hernandez, all of whom have an ERA below 2.00. Los Angeles is also second-to-last in baseball with a .264 BABIP as a team.

With a record of just 15-17, the Angels may look to buy sooner rather than later, especially if some of their veterans fail to turn things around at  the plate.