Matt Holliday would be a big help but would come at a high cost

Scott

Answer: There are always trade rumblings this time of year, but the Angels are in more of a listening than a seek-and-destroy mode. Holliday is on their list of targets should they get serious about pursuing a bat -- he's more attractive than a guy like Mark Teixeira because he is signed through 2009 -- but because of Kelvim Escobar's injury, the Angels don't have enough organizational pitching depth to absorb the loss of a guy like Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders or Jose Arredondo, players the Rockies would surely target in any trade for Holliday.

Q: Like many Angels fans, I would love it if they could move Gary Matthews Jr., but as you point out his numbers make that difficult. So how about this? Our two outfield reserves, Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits, plus a triple-A prospect for Holliday? Then you can have Matthews, who has some power and some speed, assume the roles of both Rivera (who has power) and Willits (who has speed). Sure you'd be paying a lot for a utility player, but at least he would be a multi-dimensional utility player. Plus, he should be on the bench.

Ron

A: As much as I think Rivera would be a productive every-day corner outfielder, what you propose would not be enough to snag Holliday, a proven big league power hitter and MVP candidate. Plus, if the Rockies are going to give up their top hitter, they're going to want one of the Angels' top young pitchers in return.

Q: I am a Pittsburgh Pirates fan and I would like to know what you would think about a Jason Bay/Tyler Yates offer for a return of Brandon Wood, Maicer Izturis and Jose Arredondo. I figure you guys would think it'd be too much. I'd like to see the Pirates pick up a shortstop so we can trade Jack Wilson to Toronto for a guy like Dustin McGowan. Brandon Wood might be dropped from the deal if we could add in another 3B/1B prospect. We wouldn't be asking for the best pitchers in your system.

Jared K. Fitzgerald

A: Not a bad proposal, Jared. It might be a little too rich from the Angels' end, but not completely unreasonable; it would be a good starting point. The Angels would probably want to tweak it so they don't give up Izturis and Arredondo -- Arredondo, with his nasty split-fingered fastball, is a potential closer and Izturis is a valuable super utility guy -- but I know the Angels really like Bay, a left fielder who hits for power, and with the way Wood is striking out at triple A, his value has dropped some. I don't know much about Yates, but his numbers (3-2, 3.68 ERA in 42 games) look good, and the Angels would need a reliever back if they traded Arredondo.

Q: Have the Angels totally given up on Juan Rivera as the answer to the "big bat" question? His average is way down, but he hasn't had many consecutive games to try to find a groove. How about making him the starting left fielder for two weeks and then evaluating?

Also, would teams like the Rockies really consider trading Matt Holliday just because they're having a terrible year as a team? I live in Colorado, and Holliday has almost become part of the culture here. It's hard to imagine them trading him.

Edward Ortiz, Colorado

A: The writers who cover the team regularly have been asking Manager Mike Scioscia since late April why they don't give Rivera a solid week or two of games to see if he could spark the offense, but it hasn't happened. After hitting home runs in his last two starts, Rivera will probably get more playing time, but unless Matthews or Garret Anderson go completely into the tank offensively, I don't think Rivera will be an everyday player this year.

As for the Rockies, I think they would consider trading Holliday, but only if they got at least three, and probably four, top-notch players in return. It would probably take two good, young, proven big league players and a top prospect like Matt LaPorta, whom the Cleveland Indians just got in the CC Sabathia trade.

Q: The Angels, in my opinion, need a catcher who can both hit and throw out a runner. Mike Napoli has no arm and strikes out too much, and Jeff Mathis can't hit or throw as well. Is there any way they can trade either catcher plus Rivera or Matthews, or even Howie Kendrick, for a catcher before the trade deadline?

Sandy Stock

A: The catcher you describe is very rare, and when teams have two-way catchers like that, guys like Russell Martin, Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, Ivan Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, they tend to hold onto them. For a long time. Though the Angels don't have an All-Star behind the plate, what they do have, when both are healthy, is a pretty good catching tandem, especially when you compare it to a lot of teams.

Q: What about Barry Bonds? I know the guy is a jerk and he can only DH, but God almighty, he can hit! He'll also have just three months to ruin the clubhouse instead of the usual seven. And maybe some of his plate discipline can rub off on the rest of the team.

Chuck Boyd, Garden Grove

A: Good points, all, Chuck, but I just don't see that happening.

Q: I understand Nolan Ryan is in the Hall of Fame as a Texas Ranger. He won more games and had more strikeouts for the Angels than any other team during his career. How come he is not in the Hall of Fame as an Angel?

Mike Zeldis

A: Hall of Fame rules dictate that a player will be depicted wearing the cap of his "primary" team, but for many years, including 1999, the year Ryan was inducted, the Hall allowed inductees who played for more than one "primary" team to choose the cap that would appear on his plaque. Ryan chose the Rangers. In light of rumors that teams were offering players enticements to enter the Hall wearing their caps, the Hall changed its policy in 2001. Now, the Hall has the final say in such matters.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com