The Angels are heading into another offseason where roster math matters almost as much as talent. Once the season ends and the club adds back players from the 60-day IL - since injury designations don’t carry over in the offseason - the 40-man roster is expected to sit at 44 players. That number will come down as free agents depart and non-tenders open spots, but it also sets up the key Rule 5 question: who needs protection?
By FanGraphs Roster Resource, the Angels have 13 players who have reached Triple-A and are eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason. Not all of them are real candidates to be added to the 40-man, but two names rise clearly above the rest.
Nelson Rada is the obvious one. MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the Angels’ No. 6 prospect, and the 21-year-old center fielder spent the full 2026 season in Triple-A.
He hit .278 with a .739 OPS, added 22 doubles and five triples, and swiped 43 bases. The power was light - just three home runs - but the speed remained his calling card, and it’s been the same story throughout his minor league career, where he’s piled up 214 steals over five seasons.
What also stands out with Rada is how the Angels have handled his development. He wasn’t rushed.
He moved up one level at a time and then spent a year and a half in Triple-A, with 2024 in Double-A as the one season where he really hit turbulence. With Mike Trout requesting a move to left and more time at DH, center field looks open enough that the Angels would be hard-pressed to leave Rada exposed.
The other player worth protecting is Camden Minacci, even if he doesn’t have the prospect pedigree of Rada. Minacci is a 24-year-old right-handed reliever who has topped out at Double-A, but his 2026 season was strong enough to put him on the radar.
He threw 47 innings and posted a 3.59 ERA, backed by a 2.59 FIP. His strikeout rate was nearly 30%, his walk rate was around 10%, and he limited hitters to a .219 average while allowing only 0.19 homers per nine.
His stuff gives the profile more bite. Minacci’s fastball sits in the mid-90s and can touch 98, and his power slider may be his best pitch.
It might seem aggressive to protect a pitcher who hasn’t reached Triple-A, but teams do gamble on relievers with this kind of arsenal, hoping to polish the pieces at the major league level. With two good pitches and a strong 2026 bounce-back, Minacci has the kind of arm another club could absolutely circle if the Angels leave him unprotected.
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