LA Angels 2025 Opening Day roster projection 1.0: Way-too-early 26-man predictions

Bullpen (8) - Ben Joyce, Brock Burke, Ryan Zeferjahn, José Quijada, Garrett McDaniels, Jack Kochanowicz, [insert two external relievers here]

DFA: José Suarez

MiLB: Chase Silseth, Sam Bachman, Hans Crouse, Samy Natera Jr., Jack Dashwood, Kelvin Caceres, Connor Brogdon, Victor González

Injured List: Robert Stephenson

Two fun competitions to watch in spring training will be Detmers vs. Kochanowicz for the fifth starter job, and McDaniels vs. Silseth vs. Bachman for ~one available bullpen job. The Angels will undoubtedly want to give Kochanowicz and Detmers major league roster spots, it just depends on who is the starter and who is the reliever. Given that Detmers is the longest tenured Angels starter they have, they will likely opt for him in the rotation and Kochanowicz as the long reliever; i.e. what they did with José Soriano last season.

Assuming the Angels add two veteran relievers, Detmers starts, and Kochanowicz goes to the bullpen, the last remaining bullpen spot should go to Garrett McDaniels. McDaniels has a 60-grade fastball, a 50-grade slider, stands 6'2, and just had his healthiest season in pro ball. More importantly, the Angels will want to retain the asset, as they will likely lose McDaniels if they do not keep him on the major league roster. If they do not keep him on the roster, they offer him back to the Dodgers. They have a track record of bringing their players they lost in the Rule-5 Draft back once offered. Silseth still has a MiLB option left and Bachman has two, plus they are both making their way back from injury. So, it looks like it could come down to José Suarez or McDaniels. They likely lose Suarez via waivers, but it's more likely they lose McDaniels.

An interesting wrinkle for the Angels is who they decide to promote to the 40-man roster once they place Robert Stephenson on the 60-Day IL at the beginning of spring training. In a little over a week, the Angels will likely give that open spot to a free agent reliever.