Plenty of changes ahead
New rule requires relief
FORT MYERS — Relievers might appear and reappear in major league clubhouses at breakneck speed with a rule change for this year.
“You know you’re going to need probably at least 12 (relievers),” manager John Farrell said yesterday. “That includes the seven that are with you. It’s not uncommon to use upwards of 20 pitchers inside of a given year. To sit here and (list who Nos. 8) through 12 are, that’s ongoing.
“And could it be a starter in Triple A that comes up in the bullpen? Could very well be, as well.”
How those needed arms get on the roster will be something to watch closely.
Gone unchecked, the 10-day disabled list that’s starting this year could be wildly abused.
Baseball has long seen the occasional use of what’s known as the “phantom” DL: a trip to the 15-day DL when a player really isn’t hurt.
Such trips, of course, are disguised as legitimate.
It’s all about roster flexibility. Players who have minor league options — those who can easily move between the majors and minors — have to stay down in the minors for 10 days if they’ve been optioned from the big league team.
But, that’s not the case if a player heads to the DL. An optioned player can be recalled immediately in place of someone who’s hurt. Or “hurt.”
Similarly, a player who doesn’t have options can be stashed on the DL. The alternative would be to try to send him to the minors by exposing him to other teams, on waivers.
Of course, in any of these scenarios, a team has to be without one of their players for 15 days.
That’s why the drop from 15 days to 10 days is significant.
“Oh, I think you’ll see a lot more taxi squad, quote-unquote,” Farrell said. “That might be a taboo word right now, but with it just being 10 days, I think the DL will be scrutinized even greater to try to control that. I think there’s going to be doctor documentation required for every move that’s made to the DL. On the surface, it looks like it could be manipulated. But I think the backup evidence is going to be much more in depth.”
“You have to have supporting evidence.”
In the past, the Sox would usually wait at least a week before sending a player to the DL. They could do that and retroactively list the player to the day after he last played. That’s no longer the case, as DL stints can be backdated only three days.
“It could be 14 days,” Farrell said, noting an extreme scenario where a player could go on the DL for one day in the past. “We’ve used kind of the benchmark that, if it’s going to be at least seven days, we’ll go to the DL. But we’re willing to go a player short for five or six days, depending on who the player is. That goes away.”
Triple-A Pawtucket’s close proximity to Fenway Park is even more valuable now.