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Six More Cut, Two More to Go

Cole, Gott Optioned to AAA; Glover the last watchlist player standing

Six more players were sent packing as the Nationals play their final Spring Training game in Florida this afternoon.

A.J. Cole and Trevor Gott were optioned to Syracuse, while Neal Cotts, Jhonatan Solano, and Jacob Turner were re-assigned to minor-league camp. Journeyman Vance Worley was released outright.

As the headline suggests, there are two more cuts to be made – and it appears to be a battle between Michael Taylor and Wilmer Difo for the last bench spot, and whether or not the Nats opt to carry a long man. In the case of the latter, Jeremy Guthrie would be that guy as the Nats waived Clint Robinson on Tuesday because he is out of options, which would open up the necessary spot on the 40-man roster.

The choice between Difo and Taylor is not about options; both have one left. It’s about whether you value versatility (Difo) versus tools (Taylor).

This is a minors site, so I have to leave that there and shift to this unpleasant reality regarding the guy in the subhead, Koda Glover: He has multiple options left and he’s competing against guys with one (Sammy Solis) or none (Enny Romero). As well as he’s pitched this spring, Glover could still be the odd man out.

I’d love to be wrong about this, but I’ve never been one to go after Moby Dick and bring the tartar sauce. Nats GM Mike Rizzo has done nothing to change that, never mind where I’m from (New England), or what my parents lived through (the Great Depression). I root for “our guys,” but I know deep down they’re still going to be treated like chattel cattle more often than not.

I suspect we’ll see the first of these two final cuts if/when Robinson clears waivers, which should be tomorrow. The other cut may not be until Sunday, unless Rizzo pulls off another late-March trade.

As always, feel free to discuss in the comments.

10 Commments

  1. Am I miscounting?

    SP:
    1. Strasburg
    2. Scherzer
    3. Roark
    4. Ross
    5. Gonzalez

    RP:
    6. Kelley
    7. Glover
    8. Treinen
    9. Romero
    10. Blanton
    11. Perez
    12. Solis

    C
    13. Wieters
    14. Lobaton

    INF
    15. Zimmerman
    16. Murphy
    17. Turner
    18. Rendon
    19. Drew
    20. Lind

    OF
    21. Harper
    22. Eaton
    23. Werth
    24. Heisey
    25. Taylor/Difo

    The pitching staff is sorted, no? Or have I forgotten someone?

    1. Yes – Jeremy Guthrie. Baker has expressed a preference for a long reliever and if Robinson clears waivers, Guthrie could be added to the 40-man, in which case, one of the other relievers has to go. Treinen, Solis, and Glover have options left. Baker has also expressed a preference for multiple lefties, which means Solis stays. Treinen just got named closer…

      1. Ahhh yes of course. Can’t believe I missed that given that you mentioned Guthrie enough in the post.

        It’s got to be Solis then. We don’t need 3 LH RPs and Solis happens to be the one with options. Romero will have a short leash however…

        1. According to Chelsea Janes, in the same conversation with the media in which Dusty named Treinen as the closer, someone asked whether Glover was still in the bullpen. “Oh hellll yeah,” Dusty replied. Sure sounds like he’s made the team to me. I think they’re going to keep Guthrie, too, and perhaps come up with a strained hangnail for Perez to go on the DL so they can also keep Taylor or Difo. We’ll see. It’s a very tough time of year for the guys on the bubble, particularly the ones like Clint Robinson who are out of options.

          Now it’s about time to start awaiting the minor-league rosters . . .

    1. Not only exciting reading on Robles but also intel on someone I’ve not been following, Sterling Sharp.

  3. sending koda glover down while keeping a LOOGY who makes $4M on the roster, well, that’s just…

  4. Matt Albers did sign back with the Nats after being cut and should be headed to Syracuse.

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