Angels' latest signing could mean end of these players' time on 40-man and MLB roster

In a matter of hours, the Angels will make a corresponding move to free up a 40-man roster spot. Pitchers and catchers report to the Angels' spring training facilities in Tempe, AZ on February 12th, and the Angels will be able to open up a 40-man roster spot then. Robert Stephenson will be sent to the 60-Day Injured List that day, but that will come after the Angels need to free up a 40-man spot after signing Yoán Moncada to a major league deal for one-year, $5 million. The Moncada signing also necessitates making an MLB roster decision. Two players' standing with the Angels will suffer, but who will they be?

On the 40-man front, the DFA candidate will likely be either Kyren Paris or Gustavo Campero. Paris is an obvious choice, given he is an infielder like Moncada and is not the high priority prospect he once was. Even though Paris has lost a lot of luster, he still should have a better position with the Angels moving forward than Gustavo Campero. "Campy" has a great story and is a beloved player, but both his floor and ceiling moving forward are just not as high as Paris'. The fact of the matter is Paris has a better chance of getting claimed on waivers than Campero, and the Angels want to keep their assets.

There is an outside chance they DFA a veteran like Chuckie Robinson. He is not the hottest waiver commodity out there, given how he is 30-years-old and has not been a productive big league player. However, that seems unlikely given how he was acquired recently and the team will want to retain depth in the catcher group as insurance if Logan O'Hoppe or Travis d'Arnaud succumb to an injury. Of the pitchers on the 40-man roster, possible DFA options are second-grade prospects like Jack Dashwood or Kelvin Caceres. Both do not have the highest upside, and have a not-insignificant injury history. Those options are also less attractive than cutting bait with Campero.

Which position player will win the Angels' last remaining spot on the Opening Day roster?

On the major league roster front, Scott Kingery's chances of making the Opening Day roster just decreased significantly. Kingery will remain with the Angels organization, as he has three MiLB options left, but is probably on the outside looking in with the Angels' major league team. As of now, Kingery's ability to play the outfield is not essential since the Angels have a solid group of 5 outfielders. With Moncada in the infield, there is less demand for Kingery to fill in with that group as well. Perhaps they keep Kingery ahead of a guy like Niko Kavadas as their bench player? It sure seems like it will be down to those two.

Kavadas has a great chance to crack the Opening Day roster if he performs well during spring training, given the team's need for a power hitting left-hander (which still remains after the Moncada signing). Kingery is a super-utility player and could plausibly fill in at first when Nolan Schanuel needs a breather, but Kavadas' potential as his back-up and as a pinch-hitter might be more desirable than keeping a positionally versatile player like Kingery. Kevin Newman has experience at first base, but he will occupy shortstop full-time until Neto's return. Perhaps Moncada plays some first? The other back-up first base option is, unfortunately, Anthony Rendon.

Let's have the Rendon conversation. Adding Moncada does not mean the Angels will waive Rendon yet, as it seems that Arte Moreno is not willing to eat his remaining $76 million. There still remains a solid chance they axe Rendon at the end of March, but it will not happen before then. The most logical scenario for the Angels next season is Moncada and Rendon entering a platoon at third base. Moncada is a switch-hitter, but has a better track record against right-handed pitchers than left-handed pitchers throughout his career. So, Rendon could start at third when the Angels face a LHP and Moncada gets third base duties when they face RHPs. At the very least, the organization successfully found a way to send Rendon to the bench more often if they do decide to keep him, but he will likely hang around.

Prediction: Gustavo Campero gets DFA'd, Scott Kingery starts the season at AAA, Kavadas makes the Angels

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