Okay let’s be real – I’ve been low-key obsessed with Jo Adell ever since that insane catch he made against the Red Sox last season. So when my buddy texted me “Yo any contract news??” yesterday morning, I grabbed my coffee and went full detective mode.
Step 1: Gathering All the Puzzle Pieces
First things first, I hopped onto the MLB app and saw that frustrating “team control through 2027” note we’ve all seen forever. Then I checked three different sports news sites – same basic facts everywhere:
- He’s finally hitting above .260 after years of struggles
- Those monster home runs keep getting attention
- But still making some rookie-level fielding errors
Step 2: Reading Between the Lines
Around lunchtime, I remembered that podcast where the Angels GM talked about “evaluating long-term assets.” Rewound that part like five times while eating my sandwich. Key takeaway? They’re definitely looking at him differently now that he’s not striking out every other at-bat.
My Actual Prediction Process
Pulled out my dusty notebook from when I tracked Ohtani’s contract rumors (which were way off btw). Wrote two columns:
- Why they’d extend him NOW: Cheap compared to Trout/Rendon, marketing gold with his highlights
- Why they’d wait: Defense still shaky, arbitration years give them control
The Lightbulb Moment
Went down this rabbit hole remembering how the Rays handled Wander Franco’s deal. Around 7pm I had my realization – the Angels always overpay stars too late (remember Pujols?). They’re gonna screw this up and regret it when Adell becomes a 40-homer guy elsewhere.
Final call? They offer a 3-year/$25M band-aid deal after All-Star break to save face, Adell smartly rejects it, and it becomes this whole messy drama. Bookmark this – I’ll eat my hat if they actually lock him down properly.
