The Atlanta Braves still don’t have a definitive answer on key roster questions.
Welcome to Winter Meetings week… virtually, of course. The Atlanta Braves and the rest of the baseball industry will collectively gather around computer monitors this week in a spectacle that will test the limits of Zoom’s on-line meetings application.
Traditionally — well, up until a couple of years ago — this is the week in which the wheeling and dealing of team trades begin in earnest. But how is that supposed to happen when we still are guessing about both the size and composition of each club’s active roster?
Here are those questions that are tying the hands of General Managers around the league:
- Will the National League be able to employ the Designated Hitter in 2021?
- What size will the active roster be in 2021?
- How many pitchers can be carried on that roster?
So far, the only answer we really have involves the NL DH: and it’s a “probably not”. Here’s the longer answer from Ken Rosenthal (via theAthletic):
"MLB instructed clubs in a memo last week to proceed under the assumption the DH will not be used in the NL this year, though few will complain if the league and union reach agreement to the contrary."
Still doesn’t quite sound like that answer is chiseled into stone yet, does it?
So… Marcell Ozuna? Would you like another one of those 1-year “pillow” contracts so that we can all kick the can down the road until this is resolved permanently… hopefully?
Would the Braves even entertain such a deal if they’d have to give Ozuna a glove?
Regardless, the Atlanta Braves are one of those teams that truly needs to know if the DH is going to be a ‘thing’, for major decisions hang in the balance:
- Leftfield is now wide open, but do the Braves need a “slugger” or merely a “hitter” in that slot?
- If there’s no DH, that left fielder might need to handle both roles since pitchers would be hitting.
- Would this change their bench composition?
Roster Machinations
Meanwhile, managers got used to an expanded roster of 28 players last year (after initially having 30) and don’t know right now if they will have 26 or 28 available to them for 2021.
Rosenthal also notes that a 28-man list might allow some teams to explore taking a player in the Rule 5 draft. Without those extra slots, though: this draft — later this week — could be a dud.
That aspect won’t impact Atlanta, but as they need a solid bench presence, the number of players to sign for the bench will matter, and that’s why this needs to be resolved for sure.
As it is, though, these are not even the most important questions to resolve. With COVID-19 cases spiking across the country, there was a sobering line added to the end of a story from the AP last week about MLB suing their insurance carriers for 2020 losses.
Here’s that line:
"MLB has not said whether 2021 spring training or the season will start on time."
Oh. That’s not exactly what baseball fans want to hear. Seems there are more than just roster questions that need answers.