After much speculation, the Los Angeles Angels have decided not only to hold onto Shohei Ohtani in hopes of making a push for the postseason, but they also gave up two talented prospects to the Chicago White Sox for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to bolster their pitching corps. And given the Angels' recent hot streak (they have won eight of their past 10 games), now is not the time to stand pat especially with the MLB trade deadline drawing ever more closely.

Given how much incentive the Angels have to further improve their roster, it's no surprise to see that the team is still busy talking to other teams about prospective trade targets. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Angels “have talked” to the Washington Nationals about the availability of third baseman Jeimer Candelario.

The Nationals, sitting in the NL East basement with a 43-60 record, should certainly be open to dealing Candelario, especially when the 29-year old is only on a one-year deal with the team. The question now is whether or not the Angels would be willing to meet the Nationals' asking price, especially when Candelario has been one of the team's best players.

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At the moment, Jeimer Candelario is posting a solid slash line of .253/.333/.479, and he has hit 16 home runs. The Angels, or any team that would be acquiring him for that matter, will be receiving a third baseman with solid pop and defense. It's not like upgrading their third base situation is an urgent matter for the Angels, since Mike Moustakas has done an admirable job in covering for the team at that position amid Anthony Rendon's injury.

But with Mike Trout still on the mend, it's never a wrong idea to add as many quality bats as possible to help gear the team up for a playoff push the Angels brass hopes the team would have given their decisions as of late. Thus, Candelario could certainly help in that regard, And who knows, perhaps they could even convince Shohei Ohtani to stay with the team if all goes according to plan.