Stop us if you’ve heard this before: the Angels and Braves made a transaction. The Angels and Braves made yet another deal after the Angels acquired Chuckie Robinson from the White Sox and added him to their 40-man roster. The Angels’ 40-man roster now had 41 players, therefore they designated Davis Daniel for assignment. The Braves wanted Daniel so much that they sent the Angels an actual prospect rather than cash or attempting to claim him directly. Mitch Farris, a left-handed pitcher, will join the Angels’ farm system.
DFAing Daniel comes as a surprise. It is always odd when a team DFAs a pitcher to create room for a position player, for example. Furthermore, Daniel was useful for the Angels previous season. He may not have the best traditional stats, but he can eat innings, hit spots (his Location+ rating was the highest among Angels pitchers last season), and compete at a high level. In addition, he was still recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in early 2023. The 27-year-old still had an option on his contract and would be a year removed from his injury next season. Daniel was born and bred in Atlanta, so he should be thrilled to be playing for his local team.
The Angels certainly value Chuckie Robinson’s intangibles off the field, as well as how he handles key aspects of the game, such as pitch-calling, framing, and pitching staff management. He should get along well with Sal Fasano, Travis d’Arnaud, Jerry Narron, Ron Washington, and the rest of the catchers and coaches during Spring Training. The Angels decided to sign a third catcher over keeping Daniel, who was a viable long relief option for the major league club coming out of Spring Training. So, where does the bullpen stand right now?
CL: Joyce
SU/MR: Burke, Zeferjahn, Quijada, Crouse
Swing: Silseth, Bachman
Long: Suarez
There are clearly a plethora of free agent relievers still available, and Perry Minasian has plenty of time to make trades (most likely with Atlanta) to add more bullpen help, but that is where the unit sits right now. Garrett McDaniels is the wild card, and he will be offered back to the Dodgers if he does not remain on the active roster. He could exchange McDaniels for Crouse, Silseth, or Bachman, all of whom have remaining MiLB options. McDaniels lacks major league experience, but Bachman doesn’t have much either. The Angels might want to keep McDaniels while Bachman proves himself worthy of a roster position next season.
