OC Register: Angels waiting to find out if Jaime Barría will get a fourth option this year

[AngelsWin.com]

The Angels may soon have more flexibility with Jaime Barria than previously thought.

Barria is among a handful of players whose option status will be determined sometime this month by an MLB ruling about how the 2020 season counts with regard to a player’s options.

Barria, who had a 3.62 ERA last year in seven games, is the Angels most accomplished starting pitcher who currently sits outside their projected top six. If he’s out of options, the Angels likely can’t send him to Triple-A to keep him stretched out as a starter, and instead would have to keep him in the big league bullpen.

If that happens, his workload would be limited enough that it would be problematic if the Angels needed him later as a starter. Angels general manager Perry Minasian said that’s not as big of an issue as it used to be because starters aren’t asked to throw as many pitches.

That being said, if Barria were granted a fourth option, it would certainly give the Angels more flexibility.

Players typically have three options, meaning in three different years they can be in the minors while still being on the 40-man roster. No matter how many times a player goes up and down in a given year, it counts as one option.

Barria was optioned in 2018, 2019 and 2020, so at the moment he’s considered out of options.

However, there is a rule that allows a player to get a fourth option year if his three options have been exhausted before he’s been active for five full seasons, at any level. A “full season,” in terms of this rule, means being active for at least 90 days. Barria’s five full seasons are 2016-20.

The 2020 season, however, lasted just 70 days. For purposes of service time, players had their days pro-rated to make 2020 a full season. But MLB is still trying to determine if the same thing applies with the regard to the option rule.

Barria is one of around a dozen players throughout baseball who fit into this category, and there are expected to be even more players in future years who are affected by this.

If Barria is out of options, he is likely to take one of the Angels last bullpen spots — barring an injury to one of the top six starters. If he has options, the Angels could start Barria in Triple-A and use that last bullpen spot for someone else.

Related Articles

• Shohei Ohtani gets off to a good start in Angels’ tie against White Sox
• Angels manager Joe Maddon likes the new look of Luis Rengifo
• Angels pitchers are sharp in Cactus League opener
• Where will Mike Trout hit in the Angels’ lineup this year?
• Angels’ Shohei Ohtani hits 100 mph during live BP session

View the full article