28 man rosters

[gunnarthor]

Saw this on minorleagueball but a proposal that might get passed in the next CBA is one that allows a team to have 28 men on the roster although only 25 would be designated as available for the days game.  Basically, it's a way to keep players fresh and get a little extra rest through the season without needing a DL trip.  If Plouffe needs 5 or 6 six days off, the team doesn't have to play short-handed or send him to the DL.  I kind of like the idea.  It also creates more ML jobs and makes it easier to stash a guy like Arcia or Danny Santana, who are out of options.

 

The negative would be that a team would have to have 28 players off of their 40 man roster up.  Since you probably wouldn't waste a 26-28 person spot on a guy like Jorge Polanco, you'd be carrying a few more guys like Eduardo Nunez or maybe another relief pitcher (more pitching changes).  But I think the positives outweigh the negatives.  

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2016/1/18/10785752/should-mlb-rosters-be-expanded

[old nurse]

The 3 players rested on any given day would be the three starting pitchers with little chance of pitching. The players would more than want  this as it is 3 more jobs. I doubt the owners would go for this unless there was something else not accepted like the upcoming service time fight.

[old nurse]

The interesting twist would be if the time not on the 25 man roster did not count towards service time.  Then the owners might go for it. Your player would get more than enough days off to get the extra year for the team.

[gunnarthor]

 

The 3 players rested on any given day would be the three starting pitchers with little chance of pitching. The players would more than want  this as it is 3 more jobs. I doubt the owners would go for this unless there was something else not accepted like the upcoming service time fight.

There might be some tinkering with the rule to limit how many SP a team could designate.  

[Vanimal46]

Nah I don't see the benefits of expanding rosters. It's only going to create jobs for fringe-MLB players, and not benefit the top-organization prospects.. If there was a 28 man roster last year, Tim Stauffer and Jordan Schafer would have been on the team all season long. Because hey, they may only play once a week! 

With the 25 man roster, it at least gives teams some incentive to get rid of bad players who are taking up a valuable roster spot. 

[SweetOne69]

So it would be similar to the NHL and NFL.

 

In the NHL the roster limit is 23 with only 20 Active for games.

In the NFL the roster limit is 53 with only 45 (or 48?) Active for games.

 

There are 3 issues that I see:

1.  SP must be ineligible for the healthy scratch list (only RP and position players)

2.  Service time not accrued if scratch

3.  Salary relief for scratched players.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Why not just have a shorter minimum DL time?  Seems like a lot simpler way to achieve the same goal.  Although I'm not sure the goal really needs achieving anyway -- if Plouffe is banged up and can't play for a couple days, does it really matter if you have Doug Bernier on the end of the bench or not?

 

I don't think the players would be thrilled about becoming "taxi squad" guys either -- they want to play.  If the Twins don't have Arcia or Santana in their top 25 this spring, those players absolutely want to hit waivers and try their luck somewhere else rather than be stuck in Minnesota another year as 26th-28th guys.

[dxpavelka]

Here's a thought.  How about pitchers actually pitch a reasonable amount of innings and so teams don't have to go with 13 man pitching staffs?  Teams could actually have real benches.

 

[DJL44]

This proposal would make a 12 man bullpen plus a 4 man rotation where the starters don't go more than 5 innings a reality. More pitching changes, longer games, more strikeouts, fewer runs scored.

[J_Dobs]

I get the idea behind this, but i feel the easy solution is just create the extra roster spot, for the 26th man, and call it a day. I can see this if there is steam behind the DH in the NL. But I also think another solution mentioned earlier, is to lower the 15 day DL.

 

I think its safe to say this CBA contract negotiation will be a very interesting one, and will likely contain some big changes. I just pray there is no strike with this one.  

[drjim]

I think it ends up 26/42, no inactives, maybe some September tweaking.

 

Will be interesting to see what gets traded for the extra roster spots.

[drjim]

I get the idea behind this, but i feel the easy solution is just create the extra roster spot, for the 26th man, and call it a day. I can see this if there is steam behind the DH in the NL. But I also think another solution mentioned earlier, is to lower the 15 day DL.

 

I think its safe to say this CBA contract negotiation will be a very interesting one, and will likely contain some big changes. I just pray there is no strike with this one.

Sorry, just repeated your first paragraph.

 

I would be absolutely stunned at a strike/lock out. There is some things to negotiate and change, but nothing that is so huge that it is worth risking the massive revenues in the game right now.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I get the idea behind this, but i feel the easy solution is just create the extra roster spot, for the 26th man, and call it a day. I can see this if there is steam behind the DH in the NL. But I also think another solution mentioned earlier, is to lower the 15 day DL.

 

I think its safe to say this CBA contract negotiation will be a very interesting one, and will likely contain some big changes. I just pray there is no strike with this one.  

 

I think this is it. The players may come to the table asking for 28 (but only 25 play), but there could be compromise with 26 all the time. 

 

I'm not as against the 28 (but just 25 playable) as I thought I would be when I opened this. It's not a horrible idea. Definitely something worth bringing to the table. 

[GACbaseball]

If rosters expand to 28, I would also like to see a rule on how frequently you can make a pitching change... I don't want the last 6 outs of the game to be 6 different pitchers (obviously an exaggeration but you get the point)

[ossieO]

I believe at one time the rosters expanding from 24 to 25. With most bullpens now 7 or 8 relievers, it probably makes sense to add another bench player.  I'm ok with 26 man rosters, but I don't think I like 28.

 

I hope expanded rosters wouldn't lead to more pitching changes. Forgive me a pace-of-game rant, but I really think baseball needs to add rules for catcher visits to the pitcher (3 per inning, 1 per batter), and mid-inning pitching changes (3 per game).

 

I've been to some September games the last 2 years where managers are using 3 relievers in the 6th inning. I love to see a catcher visit the mound at the right time, but it drives me crazy when they go out 2 pitches after their last visit, and within the same batter.

[notoriousgod71]

Joe McGinnity just rolled over in his grave.

[nicksaviking]

Joe McGinnity just rolled over in his grave.

I'm guessing he also rolled over in his grave when they started doing reply, inter-league games, introduced the DH, expanded the season to 162 games and let Jackie Robinson play too.

[DaveW]

I always thought the 15 day DL was stupid.

 

Expand the rosters to 26 overall, and make it so a "DL stint" is 4 games for position players and RP, and 7 games for SP.

[notoriousgod71]

 

I'm guessing he also rolled over in his grave when they started doing reply, inter-league games, introduced the DH, expanded the season to 162 games and let Jackie Robinson play too.

 

 

There's a lot of rolling going on in cemeteries these days.

[Oldgoat_MN]

 

The interesting twist would be if the time not on the 25 man roster did not count towards service time.  Then the owners might go for it. Your player would get more than enough days off to get the extra year for the team.

 

So Berios starts the year with the Twins, is inactive when he's not scheduled to start and becomes a free agent (due to accrued MLB time) when he is 37 years old. (please insert friendly emoticon here) No, I don't think the players will go for that.

 

I do believe that increasing the number of players, and hence their membership, is appealing to the players union. I like 26 who are all active.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I am not really sure who wants expanded rosters like this. The easy answer is the players -- more MLB jobs -- but every team cuts a couple guaranteed deals like Schafer and Stauffer every year. Expanded rosters might just keep those guys around longer rather than actually make new jobs. And young guys like Arcia, Santana, and Tonkin might prefer taking a chance on waivers rather than being stuck as the 26th-28th man for the Twins.

 

As for the teams, I am not sure they really need extra players either. Fans bemoan the lack of bench players, but I guarantee a 26th roster spot would go to another reliever on the majority of clubs anyway.

 

I really don't see a strong need for this from any side.

[jimmer]

 

As for the teams, I am not sure they really need extra players either. Fans bemoan the lack of bench players, but I guarantee a 26th roster spot would go to another reliever on the majority of clubs anyway.

I really don't see a strong need for this from any side.

Not if MLB limits the amount of pitchers a team can have.  Say 12-13.

[spinowner]

 

I believe at one time the rosters expanding from 24 to 25.

 

I hope expanded rosters wouldn't lead to more pitching changes. Forgive me a pace-of-game rant, but I really think baseball needs to add rules for catcher visits to the pitcher (3 per inning, 1 per batter), and mid-inning pitching changes (3 per game).

 

First point: The rosters were decreased from 25 to 24 before the 1986 season then increased back to 25 before the 1990 season.

 

Second point: I am against changing the fundamental rules of the game for the sake of faster play. Limiting catcher visits, acceptable. Limiting pitching changes, unacceptable.

[Oldgoat_MN]

 

.....

Limiting pitching changes, unacceptable.

 

Absolutely true.

[spinowner]

26 players in this era is roughly the same as 25 players 40 years ago. I think it's time to accept the fact that the game evolves, and pitching staffs simply need to be larger to accommodate modern pitching philosophy. Go ahead and whine about 100-pitch-count limits, 5-man rotations and more frequent situational pitching changes if you must, but the fact that every major league team has adopted these strategies tells me that it's the probably best way to play the game. A 26th player would give the manager an extra option in the late innings or if a player needed a day off.

[Shane Wahl]

Why not just 26 players? Why the need to create a 12% change?

[old nurse]

 

First point: The rosters were decreased from 25 to 24 before the 1986 season then increased back to 25 before the 1990 season.

 

Second point: I am against changing the fundamental rules of the game for the sake of faster play. Limiting catcher visits, acceptable. Limiting pitching changes, unacceptable.

Before the mandatory 25 man roster was negotiated in the CBA it was optional how many players were paid on the active roster. When clubs were at 24 they all could have been at 25, no one was

[DJL44]

The way to "solve" this is expansion. More jobs, more overall revenue for MLB.

[dxpavelka]

 

This proposal would make a 12 man bullpen plus a 4 man rotation where the starters don't go more than 5 innings a reality. More pitching changes, longer games, more strikeouts, fewer runs scored.

Pass.

 

[ScrapTheNickname]

 

First point: The rosters were decreased from 25 to 24 before the 1986 season then increased back to 25 before the 1990 season.

 

Second point: I am against changing the fundamental rules of the game for the sake of faster play. Limiting catcher visits, acceptable. Limiting pitching changes, unacceptable.

 

Re your second point. Because limiting pitching changes is never going to happen, and the steep increase in use of relief pitching has become ABUSIVE to the flow and fan interest in the game, it seems only logical and a matter of time before MLB adds 3 more spots to the roster.

 

Bench depth has been getting short-shrifted for what, going on 30 yeras?