Halos’ expectations to contend cloud Deadline

KANSAS CITY — Hector Santiago took the mound at Kauffman Stadium on Monday night in front of a handful of rival scouts who were fixated mostly on him, hoping to decipher whether their contending clubs should take a run at the young left-hander this week.

The Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline is only seven days away now, and several Angels pitchers are already being discussed.

The Marlins have reached out about Santiago, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi. The Giants have reached out about closer Huston Street, a report in the San Francisco Chronicle stated. And as the days go by, starter Matt Shoemaker, reliever Joe Smith, third baseman Yunel Escobar and several others will be mentioned, as well.

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The Angels — 12 games below .500 and 13 1/2 out of first place after being swept by the division-rival Astros over the weekend — are undoubtedly in a position to part with veteran players.

But their path remains hazy because their desire to contend next season remains steadfast.

“Our objectives haven’t waned at all based on anything recent,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. “It’s more the model of this organization, and the model of what we want to continue to be as a contending team, and reach towards those championship standards. We’re going to always keep our eyes on that, and remain focused on that throughout all the noise and fog.”

The …

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