Dec 15
Earlier today we projected the 2010 25-man roster. Now let’s look at what that means for the 40-man roster and the opening day payroll.
40-Man Roster Projection (notes and explanations on the projection can be found following the roster)…
Notes on the 40-man roster projection
- Ages are as of today. Shaded players are projected to be on the 40-man roster, but not on the 25-man roster. Italicized players are currently on the 40-man roster but are not projected to be on the roster in ’09.
- The Rays now have 37 players on the 40-man roster. Elliot Johnson and Mitch Talbot are out of minor league options and we don’t see a spot on the big league roster for either. We expect both players to be removed from the 40-man roster at some point.
- The Rays had 10 players that were arbitration-eligible this off-season. The Rays non-tendered Gabe Gross and avoided arbitration with Grant Balfour, Dioner Navarro, Lance Cormier and Randy Choate. Salaries for the remaining 5 arbitration players are guestimations at this point based on other arbitration-eligible players in recent years that play the same position, have similar service times and comparable stats.
- With the addition of Rafael Soriano and the decision to keep Dioner Navarro (for now) the opening day payroll projects to be $71.1 million. Of course, there are places where the Rays can save money, if they choose to trade a player like Carl Crawford or Carlos Pena, both of whom are entering the final years of their current deals. Combined, those two players will account for almost one-third of the 2010 payroll.
(1) Based only on players currently within the organization and will be updated when trades are consumated and free agents are signed.
(2) Once a player is added to the 40-man roster, the team can ‘option’ the player to the minors 3 times. A team cannot be charged with using more than one option in a given season even if a player is demoted to the minors several times that year. An option is not used if a player is added to the 40-man roster midseason unless he is sent back to the minors at some point. An option is only used if a player spends more than 20 days in the minors while on the 40-man roster. A player with more than 5 years experience can refuse a minor league assignment, so we list those players as having no options.
(3) Years remaining under control of franchise before free agency eligibility. A player can become a free agent after 6 years of Major League service time.
(4) First, second and third year players will have their salaries determined by the team, but will fall close to the major league minimum which is $400K in ’10. Minor leaguers on the 40-man for the first time make $33,750 and second-year players (or players with at least 1 day of major league experience) make twice that amount. We are not including signing bonuses or incentives.
* Players with at least 3 years since their big league debut. These players must clear optional waivers in order to be demoted to the minors even if they have options remaining.
Dec 15
Now that the Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 Draft and the non-tender deadline have come and gone, let’s take another look at the 25-Man Roster Projection (notes and explanations on the projection can be found following the roster)…
Notes on the 25-man roster projection…
- LINEUP: The key to the lineup is Matt Joyce. Re-signing Gabe Kapler suggests the Rays want him to platoon in right with Joyce. That leaves Ben Zobrist to play second base. If Joyce is not ready, Zobrist could be in right and second base would include Sean Rodriguez by himself or part of a platoon.
- BENCH: Willy Aybar and Gabe Kapler are the locks. Again, assuming Matt Joyce is ready, that will allow Sean Rodriguez to inherit Ben Zobrist’s old role as Mr. Do It All. That leaves the second catcher. The Rays re-signed Dioner Navarro. But Kelly Shoppach hit .191/.313/.340 versus righties while Navi was actually worse at .183/.234/.255. The Rays figure to play 100-110 games versus right-handed starters in 2010 and that is a big hole no matter who is in the lineup. So, do the Rays trade Navi? Until they do, we have to assume he is the backup.
- ROTATION: The Rays are always looking to improve every aspect of the roster and that includes the rotation. If the Rays do find a veteran pitcher this off-season, Wade Davis will be back in Durham for more seasoning. But that seems like a long shot.
- BULLPEN: With the trade for Rafael Soriano and the new contracts for Lance Cormier and Randy Choate, six of the seven spots appear to be spoken for. The Rays will continue to look outside the organization to fill the seventh spot, but for now we give a slight edge to Andy Sonnanstine. Could also go to Dale Thayer, Mitch Talbot or even Winston Abreu who is on a minor league deal. Unless another reliever is added to the mix, this could be the only spot up on the roster up for grabs in spring training.
