Move over Jo Adell, the Angels might have their new 5-man outfield rotation

Since Jo Adell made his major league debut in 2020, his track record has been spotty at best. In his off-and-on six year career with the Angels, his best bWAR was accumulated last season and it was still a sub-1 mark with a .207/.280/.402/.682 slash line. Adell has been given an extended try-out as the Angels' post-Mike Trout centerfielder and, in return, he has the second worst fWAR on the team and a .194/.230/.370/.600 slash with a 29.2% K%, 3.5% BB%, and 65 wRC+.

The Angels placed Mike Trout on the 10-day injured list over 10 days ago, and he is still without a firm timetable to return. Taylor Ward is already a lineup stalwart, and Kyren Paris and Jorge Soler are getting more run in the outfield while Trout is absent. Last but not least, the Angels brought up one of their top prospects who is now cutting into Adell's playing time and making the most of it. Given how things are looking, the Angels might need to make an uncomfortable decision regarding Adell once Trout returns.

Move over Jo Adell, the Angels might have their new 5-man outfield rotation

In the Angels' series-finale against the Orioles, Ron Washington decided to pinch-hit Matthew Lugo for Jo Adell to face the mighty Felix Bautista in a blowout loss. Well, Lugo delivered a solo home run off an upper-90s MPH fastball -- getting his barrel out and pulling an inside heater over the left field wall. Lugo, the nephew of Carlos Beltrán, delivered his first major league hit by way of a triple off the centerfield wall the prior game. Now, for the Angels' series-opener against the Padres, Adell is heading to the bench and Lugo is starting in left field... in what might be a sneak preview of who the Angels' evaluators are prioritizing.

The more rational move when Trout is activated off the IL would be to option Lugo back to Triple-A, given that Adell no longer has options and the Angels might want to retain the asset. Instead of losing the former first rounder via the waiver wire, they could ideally flip Adell in a trade and return a distressed player from a different ball club (see: the Ian Anderson for José Suarez trade). Either way, Adell looks like a replacement-level player only with the Angels while Lugo could easily out-perform him in 2025 and beyond.

However, there is certainly a scenario where the Angels view Adell as a sunk cost and Lugo as a solidified major league contributor moving forward. The Angels could use Ward in left, Paris and Lugo in center (with Paris taking reps at second base as well), and Trout in right the rest of the way. The time might be ripe to give Lugo an extended run with the big league team and bid Adell adieu.

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