Angels: Three options for an expanded roster

Don’t count on Jo Adell

Given three extra roster spots, I expect the Halos to use two of them on additional pitchers and the final added spot on a catcher. If Canning is healthy, he would normally push someone like Matt Andriese out of the rotation. While teams are allowed to carry 29 players, I expect Andriese would stay with the big club as an extra starter, since he can do so without sacrificing any of the expected bullpen arms. Normally, one of Ryan Buchter or Jose Quijada would likely start the season in the minors, if not both (they were both already optioned). I expect one of them starts the season with the Angels.

Where does that leave us?

For people hoping that expanded rosters offer a chance for an early call-up of Jo Adell, I wouldn’t get your hopes up for a few reasons. One, Adell needs more time. He still needs to be added to the 40-man roster. And he will need to spend more time in Triple-A after accumulating only 132 plate appearances last season. If he joins the Angels this season, expect it to be later in the season.

Second, there are new service time considerations. As part of the agreement between the players and owners on the new landscape, players will receive a pro-rated amount of service time over a shortened schedule. For example, under normal conditions, a player receives 1 day of service for each day they spend in the majors. A full year of service equates into 172 days out of an 187 day season. If the 2020 season is only half the normal length, say, 94 days, then players would only be required to reach ~86 days to receive a full service year.

This means that if the Angels were to add Adell to their active roster to start the season, they risk losing an entire season of service, and thus, allow him to reach arbitration and free agency one year sooner, while obtaining as little as 86 days of service this season.