Offseason 40 man roster...

[Tim]

I haven't looked at the players that will have to be protected this offseason. Does anyone have a list? Gotta think through how many players will have to be added and what that will mean for the team if trades are made or not made.

[NCCubFan]

Paging Mark Peel. :D

[CUBZ99]

Paging Mark Peel. :D

 

I wish he would post more often. Haven't seen him on in awhile.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Didn't they change the eligibility requirements with the new CBA?

[NCCubFan]

Didn't they change the eligibility requirements with the new CBA?

I was thinking an additional year was added before a player has to be promoted to the 40-man roster to avoid Rule 5.

[craig]

I believe that rule change, giving both college and HS guys an extra year, went into effect last draft already. Not sure we'll have a lot of trouble. Most of the guys who are worth anything are already on the roster, since we've called everybody up already this year. With the extra year, Veal won't need protection yet.

 

So Gallagher, Soto, Coats, Moore, Mateo, all those guys are already on. Rapada, Cherry, Guzman, etc.. With the new rule, I don't think Eric Patterson will even be eligible. Obviously Roquet won't. Not even Grant Johnson will.

 

Basically I can't think of much of anybody outside of kroeger who's unprotected now who'll need protection then. Drop Wade Miller and Dopirak, and call it a day.

 

Would this be Harvey's year to get protected? I suppose it's remotely possible the Cubs will still want to protect him. Or maybe they'll decide Jim Hamilton or somebody like that.

 

Perhaps a larger problem to the 40 isn't taking minor-leaguers and putting them back on; it may be taking 60-day DL's and putting them on. I don't think the 60-day applies in winter, so your 40 needs to include those guys, right?

 

If you still want to keep harben, I'd think that could get tight.

 

Practical, from my POV, is that we don't need to be much motivated to trade away prospects in order to avoid 40-man pressure.

[sporrer17]

.316/.371/.571/.932 with 8 HR/28 RBI in 139 AB post ASB for Dopirak. His season average is up to .270 now. Give him the rest of the season at least before writing him off completely...he's still only 23 and has had a few injuries to overcome.

[craig]

Dope has been very hot, and as you note since the break he's actually taken 10 walks in 139 AB, huge progress relative to his hacking norm. He's even dropped his K-rate over that small sample to a hair under 30%, which for him is also progress, horrific as it remains.

 

His overall season OBP is now up to .293. (inlcuding his AA stats), and he's jumped his Daytona OBP up over .300, he's up to .308 now. So, it's progress, and it's true that he won't turn 24 till after the season.

 

This is already his 2nd options year.

 

It may well be that one way or another, Kroeger will be the only guy worth adding. Perhaps there will be a spot, Kendall's spot or maybe Harben's rehab isn't looking that great and he'll get bumped, obviously Miller. So if we only have one guy to add, maybe Dopirak won't even get any pressure.

 

But, I think it's a long-shot that teams will be jumping over themselves to draft an almost 24-year-old DH who's a 30% K-guy in A-ball and is a fringe .300-OBP guy in A-ball. I think it would be a good thing for Dope and the Cubs, actually, if they did de-roster him this winter. That way, if he did come back and make serious progress next year, they could then return him to the 40-man roster for 2009 and have options to bring him up if/when Lee gets hurt, or to control him for another year to track whether he really has turned some kind of corner.

 

If they keep him on for next year, what happens if he goes to AA, hits .280 with 22 HR's and a .315 OBP and an .830 OPS? He'd be out of options after that. As a DH/1B type, that probably wouldn't be enough to command a 2009 roster spot, but it might be good enough so that after you had to waive him, some other team might possibly pick him up.

 

But if you deroster him this winter, assuming he'd clear, that would effectively give you two full years to let him develop before you'd need to decide whether to fish or cut bait. Pretty unlikely given his current problems to envision that he's going to turn into any great shakes in less than that time, if ever.

[JeffH]

Craig, Cotts is another potential spacemaker.

 

He has "nontender" written all over him.

[Guest]

Got this from AZ Phil - nothing too interesting (outside of Kroeger) with the additions during the season and the trade of Blevins:

 

MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENTS IF NOT ADDED TO 40-MAN ROSTER BY 10-15-07

 

Chris Amador, OF

Federico Baez, RHP (6YFA after 2007)

Cory Bailey, RHP

Oscar Bernard, RHP (6YFA after 2007)

Gary Cates, INF

Robinson Chirinos, INF (6YFA after 2007)

Jorge Cortes, OF

Ben Howard, RHP

Geoff Jones, LHP

Mike Kinkade, 1B-OF

Josh Kroeger, OF

John Nelson, INF

Mike Nannini, RHP

Mike Mahoney, C

Ryan O’Malley, LHP

Carmen Pignatiello, LHP

Bret Prinz, RHP

Carlos Rojas, SS (6YFA after 2007)

Issmael Salas, INF (6YFA after 2007)

Les Walrond, LHP

John Webb, RHP

 

ELIGIBLE FOR 2007 RULE 5 DRAFT IF NOT ADDED TO 40-MAN ROSTER BY 11-20-07

 

+ Can be Six-Year Minor League FA (6YFA) after 2008 season

 

Justin Berg, RHP

Todd Blackford, RHP

Jerry Blevins, LHP

+ Matt Craig, 3B

Darin Downs, LHP

+ Alberto Garcia, 1B

Adam Harben, RHP

Kevin Hart, RHP

Ryan Harvey, OF

Jim Henderson, RHP

+ Micah Hoffpauir, 1B

Scott Koerber, LHP

Tim Layden, LHP

J. R. Mathes, LHP

Casey McGehee, 3B-C

+ Adalberto Mendez, RHP

Mario Mercedes, C

Leonel Perez, RHP

Jose Pina, RHP

Tony Richie, C

+ Alan Rick, C-1B

+ Joel Santo, RHP

Paul Schappert, LHP

Chris Shaver, LHP

+ Jemel Spearman, INF

Nate Spears, 2B

Jesus Valdez, OF

Chris Walker, OF

Randy Wells, RHP

 

ETA: Deleted Bo Hart.

Edited July 31, 2007 by CaliforniaRaisin

[seanimal]

What service criteria determine whether or not a minor league player is eligible for the Rule 5 draft?

[Guest]

What service criteria determine whether or not a minor league player is eligible for the Rule 5 draft?

 

Players become eligible if they have been with a team for four years (and signed with that team at age 19 or older) or five years for those who signed at 18 or younger.

[craig]

Thanks, cal. Several thoughts for me:

1. I hadn't realized Harben was already derostered.

 

2. In my earlier post, Kroeger and long-shot Harvey were the only names that came to my mind. But Kevin Hart's outstanding start yesterday reminded me that he'd be a possible strong candidate as well. A third, oddly enough, would possibly be Justin Berg. Has the strong sinker, and I thought I'd read a report recently where he was at 95. Obviously not close to having the command, but he has made some progress. Sometimes Cubs protect guys like that.

[seanimal]

What service criteria determine whether or not a minor league player is eligible for the Rule 5 draft?

 

Players become eligible if they have been with a team for four years (and signed with that team at age 19 or older) or five years for those who signed at 18 or younger.

 

I see. Thanks!

[NCCubFan]

MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENTS IF NOT ADDED TO 40-MAN ROSTER BY 10-15-07

 

Bo Hart, INF

Hart was traded to the Baltimore organization a while back and is now with Norfolk. He's hitting a combined .148 with 0 HR and 0 RBI in 88 at bats this year.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

To me, Kroeger and Craig look like the only ones worth making sure we keep.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

To me, Kroeger and Craig look like the only ones worth making sure we keep.

 

I was going with just Kroeger, but I can see Craig

[sporrer17]

Looks like Kroeger, possibly....maybe Craig (although Moore and Fox already being on the roster make Craig a little less valuable)...and don't be surprised if a guy like Chirinos or Rojas is added as well, as both are middle IF with some potential. (Rojas is a good glove, Chirinos has a pretty decent bat at times)

[the splendid splinter]

Hart and Henderson to be strongly considered!!