ROSTER REPAIR
ARIZONA’S Mitch Haniger and Milwaukee’s Damien Magnifico played their first major league games of 2016 Tuesday, Atlanta promoted touted prospect Dansby Swanson to join that list Wednesday.
If this feels like a tap that never closes, you are onto something.
The total of those who played at least one game in 2016 through Tuesday was 1,239 — an average of more than 41 per team and almost as many as played all of the 2006 campaign (1,242).
That’s no surprise since the number has been going up steadily, from 1,284 in 2012 to a record 1,304 in 2013, to a record 1,320 in 2014 to a record 1,348 last year. With September call-ups still to come, a total of 1,400 or more is in play this season.
Several factors have led to the increase. Teams are more cautious with players and, thus, use the disabled list more liberally, plus there are relatively new lists for concussions, paternity and bereavement. Teams are more willing to give younger players a chance, and quicker than ever. Swanson and Houston’s Alex Bregman are the fastest 1-2 draft picks (from 2015) to appear in the majors since Alex Rodriguez and Darren Dreifort from 1993 to 1994.
But, in recent years, clubs also have become shrewd in using the last spot or two on the 25-man roster as something akin to a taxi squad, shuffling players between the majors and minors. Teams often do this for fresh arms after blowouts or extra innings tax a pitching staff. The Yankees, for example, have become adept at this carousel the past few years.
The more clubs that employ this tactic the stronger proponent I become of either having a taxi squad or freer movement to the major league roster. Heck, I believe a team should be able to set its roster daily and use any players in its system — they do pay them all. Can you imagine running a business and being told the guys who work in your factory in Des Moines, Iowa, cannot come and help you in New York?
This will be a subject in the ongoing negotiations for a new col- lective bargaining agreement, though I hear it has not yet been tackled seriously. Players, obviously, would love to expand rosters because it means more jobs. Teams are hesitant because more jobs not only mean more players making what will be a higher minimum salary (at least) with a new CBA, but also more money having to go for insurance, pensions, etc., and more service time being accrued for more players toward arbitration and free agency.
In addition, smaller-market owners fear their larger brethren will outspend them for depth pieces too. Those already concerned about pace of play worry that more jobs means more pitchers and, thus, pitching changes.
All of that is legitimate. But there can be ways to cap the number of pitchers eligible each day and give players with lesser roles or experience less service time or half the minimum wage — after all, that would still be preferable to players than no service time and a minor league salary.
I see having more flexible rosters helping with injury prevention by not forcing a hurt player to play because there are no other options or having to overplay exhausted players. I also see the potential for a more interesting game. I think having a speed guy or two to strategically use at some point during a game would be valuable, as would bringing up a hitter who specializes in hitting lefties when an opponent starts a southpaw.
I would say you can have any 23 players from your system active any day and no more than eight can be pitchers (for example, you would not have to activate the four starters who pitched the previous four games). That provides 15 position players with which to be creative.
No one wants September when, stupidly, teams can expand to 40 men after playing a whole season with 25. That expansion in a few weeks will assure that a record is set for players used in 2016.
That will scream it is time to fix the roster manipulations.