There is a long list of things to do for Andy MacPhail and company this off-season, and I’ll be tackling some of those things throughout the next few weeks. I’ll also keep you updated on the Arizona Fall League, as well as rumors about possible trades and free agent signings. For me, November, December, and January are always a lot of fun, with trades (and lots of rumors), big free agent signings, and roster re-adjustments.
Therefore, first and foremost is dealing with the 40-man roster. As a quick explanation, the 40-man roster is comprised of all the organizations players who are signed to Major League contracts. It also must contain prospects that have been in the organization for a certain number of years (More on that later). If you appear in a major league game, you must be on the 40-man roster. However, it’s different from the 25-man roster, which is just the players on your current major league roster. So, the 40-man has everyone from Nick Markakis to Oscar Salazar, Jeremy Guthrie to Freddy Deza (Who? Exactly, more on him later). Here is a link to the current O’s 40-man.
As you’ll notice, if you counted, that roster lists 46 players. And I’m sure you’ll say, “Mick, that’s more than 40!” Well, first of all, I admire your quick math skills. Well done. However, there is a reason that there are more than 40 players currently on the Orioles 40-man roster.
When the season ends (for everyone), all teams must take the all players off their disabled lists. During the season, if someone is out for the year or most of it, you can put them on the 60-Day DL, and they don’t take up a spot on your 40-man roster. Now, when the season ends, the 60-Day DL disappears, and those players must be added back onto the roster. So, at this point, the Orioles have a total of 46 players on their 40-man roster. By early-November, this number must be down to 40, and stay at 40 or below until the 60 Day DL opens up again in March.
Whew. OK. Still with me? So, how do the Orioles go from the 46 guys on there now, to the 40 (or less) they need to have by early November? Well, first off, anyone who is becoming a Free Agent will be taken off the 40-man when they apply for Free Agency. Therefore, Kevin Millar, Jay Payton, Juan Castro, and Alex Cintron are 4 guys that won’t be on the 40-man much longer. So, the Orioles are going to be at 42 players. How do they get to 40 or less?
I’ll do that in a follow up post so this doesn’t get too long. Basically, the Orioles need to take 3 things into account:
1- Who on the 40-man roster has no options left, and therefore cannot be sent to the minor leagues without passing through waivers. Basically, they have to make the Major League team out of Spring Training or any other team has a shot at them. Unless you think these guys have a legitimate shot at making the ML team, they should be cut now.
2- Who simply has no value to the team, or has no value on the 40-man roster? Basically, who could be cut if it was necessary?
3- Who do we need to add to the 40-man from our own organizational prospects? There are certain rules that will force us to add some prospects to our 40-man to protect them from the Rule V Draft.
Anyways, those are the 3 things I’ll break down in my next post. Basically, who should still be on the 40-man roster by early November when the 40-man needs to be set? I’ll let you know.
Keywords: Baltimore Orioles
