The Angels have a small but important roster puzzle to solve before Tuesday’s Nov. 17 deadline, and four of their better-regarded prospects sit right in the middle of it.
Nelson Rada, Raudi Rodriguez, Mason McGwire and Joel Hurtado all need to be added to the 40-man roster by 3 p.m. PT on Nov. 17 if the Angels want to keep them out of the Dec.
9 Rule 5 Draft. The club currently has 37 players on its 40-man, which means it can protect only three of them unless someone else is removed first.
That decision comes with a few moving parts around the organization. The Angels are still operating without a full-time general manager while the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment group works to take full control from former owner Arte Moreno, so it is not entirely clear who is making the final calls on personnel right now.
And even if the club makes its choices, MLB activities scheduled for December and beyond could be wiped out if the owners lock out the players at 9 p.m. PT on Dec. 1, putting the Rule 5 Draft itself in jeopardy.
Rada looks like the safest bet to get protected. The 21-year-old outfielder is ranked No. 6 in the system and has already been mentioned this offseason as a possible center field answer for Mike Trout, who has apparently agreed to move to left for the 2027 season.
Rada’s game is built around speed, and he backed that up in 2026 at Triple-A Salt Lake by hitting .278 with three homers and 45 RBIs in 128 games. He also swiped 43 bases, giving him 214 stolen bases across his five full minor league seasons.
Rodriguez has also made a strong case. The 23-year-old outfielder, ranked No. 19, was drafted by the Angels in the 19th round in 2023 after growing up in the Dominican Republic and playing high school ball in Boston.
He spent 2024 in a 29-game season, then broke through in 2025 at Single-A Inland Empire with a .282 average, an .842 OPS, 21 doubles, 14 home runs, 83 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. In 2026, he split time between Double-A Rocket City and Triple-A Salt Lake, posting a combined .264 average, .784 OPS, 100 runs scored, a career-high 16 homers, 15 doubles and 36 steals.
He also appeared in the 2025 Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game, and MLB Pipeline describes him as a potential "athletic corner [outfielder] who, if he can keep his whiffs in check [288 strikeouts in 299 minor-league games], has the chance to have big league value as an athletic corner outfielder with pop."
McGwire gives the Angels another interesting call to make. The 22-year-old right-hander, ranked No. 21, came over from the Cubs at the August trade deadline in the deal for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn.
In two-plus seasons in Chicago’s system, he made 44 appearances and 29 starts. After the trade, he made five starts for High-A Tri-City, going 1-2 with a 4.12 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 19.2 innings.
MLB Pipeline believes that with better control, he could become a back-of-the-rotation starter.
Hurtado is the oldest of the group and brings the longest track record. The 25-year-old right-hander, ranked No. 27, signed with the Angels for $10,000 in June 2022 and has worked both as a starter and in relief across five minor league levels since then.
He has appeared in 100 games and made 87 starts, going 29-27 with a 4.35 ERA and 417 strikeouts in 463.2 innings. In 2026, he went 6-4 with a 3.63 ERA in 20 starts at Rocket City before finishing at Salt Lake, where he struggled to a 2-3 record and a 7.57 ERA in eight starts over 35.2 innings.
MLB Pipeline says improved strike-throwing in 2026, along with "the ability he’s shown to log innings and hold his stuff deep into outings, gives him the chance to start, though he needs a third pitch and more missed bats to thrive."
The Rule 5 process adds another layer of pressure. Teams pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase, and if that player does not stay on the drafting club’s 26-man roster for the full season, he has to be offered back to his original team for $50,000.
In Other News...
Angels Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Catching Plans
The Angels kept a familiar face in the mix behind the plate by bringing back Tyler Heineman on a one-year deal, a move that gives the club another piece of stability as it sorts out its catching picture for the upcoming season. It is the kind of low-drama roster decision that can matter more than it looks, especially for a team trying to firm up roles before the offseason gets any more unpredictable.
Los Angeles also brought back pitcher Sammy Peralta on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training after he was outrighted to the minors, adding another arm to the organizational depth chart. With the expected MLB lockout looming, the Angels have been making these kinds of measured decisions now, trying to lock in options where they can and avoid leaving too many loose ends for later. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Face Growing Pressure On Zach Neto Before Crucial Deadline
The Angels have already started their general manager search at the MLB General Manager Meetings, but the bigger front-office question may be whether they can hold onto Zach Neto long enough to make a clear decision. Interim GM John Mozeliak acknowledged that interest in the star shortstop is picking up from multiple teams, which only adds to the pressure on a club that is trying to sort out its direction while the market around it keeps moving.
With the December 1 lockout looming, the Angels are working against a deadline that could shape the rest of their winter. Neto stands out as one of the more valuable shortstops available in trade discussions, especially with other options expected to hit the market this offseason, and that only makes the stakes higher for a team that has to decide whether to listen, hold firm or act before the window closes. [Read more 🡒]
Former Angels Manager Brad Ausmus Is Back In A Dugout
Brad Ausmus is headed back into a major league dugout, this time with Houston, where the Astros have hired the former Angels manager to lead the club. The announcement came from general manager Randy Flores, adding another familiar name to a franchise that knows Ausmus well from his playing days and his long run as a big league skipper.
For Angels fans, it is another reminder of how much managerial turnover has shaped the organization in recent years. Ausmus has already managed both Detroit and Los Angeles, and his most recent stop was as the bench coach for the Yankees, so this return gives Houston a veteran voice with a wide view of the game and leaves the Angels watching a former manager land back in a prominent chair. [Read more 🡒]