Like Valentine’s Day itself, there’s quite a gap between the hopes and the reality (except for the young and/or newly coupled, natch). But the offseason is over and now we’re in the preseason.
Unlike years past, the list of non-roster invites was issued last month and it’s less than a dozen players as of virtual press. That’s a far cry from the 27 at this time last year.
One would think that a 71-win team might have a few more players than that trying to hook on. Well, it turns out there’s a reason for that.
This is the first year that MLB is limiting organizations to 175 players signed in the offseason, 165 during the season. Even MASN Commenter can do that math: roughly 33 players per level with roughly 30 players rostered. As J.J. Cooper put it in the hyperlinked story, “making the offseason roster may actually be tougher than surviving spring training cutdowns.”
Back to topic: With the signing of Jesse Winker, which will bring the NRI list to a whopping 12 once it’s posted, the odds of Dylan Crews making the Opening Day roster just got a little longer. Same for Jackson Rutledge, if (when) Washington signs a veteran starter.
The best bet (wait; does MLB tacitly sanction gambling?) is probably for Drew Millas to beat out Riley Adams to become the backup catcher. As for everyone else, they’ll just have to wait for someone to get hurt, released, or for the Super-Two cutoff date to pass.
The goal for spring training is the same as it ever was: Just enough to get back in the groove before it becomes gratuitous (and as much as time allows; I don’t have to go into D.C. as much as when the new gig started but it’ll still be enough to affect coverage from time to time). That’s usually around mid-March.
But, thanks to the 150-game AAA schedule, we’ll be in regular-season mode starting in late March, with Rochester opening the season in Syracuse. The rest of the full-season teams start on April 5 and the FCL begins on May 4 (here’s why).