Soriano possibly back by August 28th

[SouthSideRyan]

Are you certain you can do this?

 

Yes players on the 25 or 60 man disabled list as of August 31st can be added to the postseason roster; however, I'm not sure you can begin with disabled players on your post season roster and then replace them with anyone you want.

 

My assumption has always been that unless an exemption is granted by MLB (it occasionally is), a player must be on the 25 man roster or the disabled list on August 31.

 

So if Murton is on Iowa's active roster on August 31st, he could not be on the Cubs post season roster, unless an exemption is granted.

 

Does anyone know for sure?

 

I've always thought these shenanigans could be avoided. Why not allow teams to select any player from their August 31 40-man roster plus 60-day DL to be on their post season roster. Post season rosters could be adjusted after each series.

 

Quickest way to prove it is checking K-Rod's debut date on baseballreference.com He made his major league debut on 9/18 then was on the postseason roster. I can't off the top of my head think of the guy who was on the 60 day DL that he replaced, but I want to say it was some nobody who may have never even wound up playing in the majors. K-Rod may not have even been on the 40 man as of 9/1(though he was in the organization), I'm hazy on that part.

 

The logic behind it is that postseason rosters are supposed to be locked in on 8/31 to prevent a guy playing in the playoffs that wasn't really a part of the team for the most part. Teams discovered loopholes because obviously if one of the guys on the 25 man roster got hurt, he would be replaced by somebody else from the 40 man come October. Additionally, if you have a guy on the 15 day DL that you want on your postseason roster, you'd put him on there. Let's say he relapses and isn't healthy enough for postseason play, you then have to replace him. So the loophole was taken to the extreme, and occasionally a team will ensure a minor leaguer will spend the season on the major league 60 day DL to allow for manuevering in order to clear space should they so need it.

 

For example, having Pagan on the playoff roster(In place of Pignatiello) in addition to every position player on the current 25 man would allow the Cubs to go down to 11 pitchers for the playoffs, which is really all a team needs come postseason.

[Guest]

SSR, K-Rod replaced Steve Green on the Angels playoff roster in 2002.

[NCCubFan]

Apparently the Red Sox think you can do this. When they optioned John Lester to the minor leagues last week with the intention of recalling him when rosters expand they mentioned he'd still be eligible for the postseason roster.

[Guest]

Apparently the Red Sox think you can do this. When they optioned John Lester to the minor leagues last week with the intention of recalling him when rosters expand they mentioned he'd still be eligible for the postseason roster.

 

There's no thinking you can do this - it can be done.

[GaborBako]

It has to be Pie. Assuming Pagan comes back in September he would be eligible for the playoff roster (if there is one) and provides pretty much the same skills at this point as Pie.

I think Murton is more likely. When it comes down to a decision about which one they want to keep up to maintain postseason eligibility I think they'll keep Pie for his speed and defense. I think Monroe spelled the end of Murton's postseason hopes.

 

Postseason eligibility should have nothing to do with the decision assuming the Cubs aren't dumb. When postseason rosters are submitted Pagan should be on it along with Novoa, Guzman, and Prior.(This is assuming Pagan doesn't come back this year, and I don't think he will.

 

You have to be on the 60-day DL to open a roster spot for another player on the playoff roster, and you can only replace a hitter with a hitter or a pitcher with a pitcher. The Cubs currently have no position players on the 60 day DL. If they want the flexibility to have Murton or Pie (whoever gets sent down today) on the playoff roster, Pagan's season is over and he'll need to be transferred to the 60-day DL before the playoffs start.

[SouthSideRyan]

That sounds familiar about the player needing to be on the 60 day DL, but I really don't understand why. What if the Cubs want Pagan on the playoff roster, they have to submit his name in place of a position player only?

 

Or is it just a technicality of the rules where the 14th man would be Pagan unless he can't come back, in which case he'd be transferred to the 60 day DL come 9/30 and replaced by Pie/Murton?

 

And all of this talk really shouldn't matter, cause Pigs should be the one going down, but I'm not that optimistic.

[Guest]

When playoff rosters are set on August 31st, they must have 25 players plus those on the DL and bereavement list. For each player on the 60-day DL, the team may add a player to the eligible list during the playoffs (as long as they play the same position and the newly added player was in the organization on August 31). Then, the team can choose 25 players from their eligible roster list before each round of the playoffs.

 

Right now, the Cubs have Guzman, Novoa and Prior on their 60-day DL and no position players. Guzman has started rehabbing already and the other two are out for the season.

[GaborBako]

Pagan's eligible for the playoff roster if he's on either the 15-day or 60-day DL on August 31.

 

Say at the end of the season it comes down to Pagan, Murton or Pie for the final spot on the playoff roster. Say they sent Murton to AAA today to make room for Soriano, and that Pagan never came off the 15-day DL during the season but is magically healthy for the playoffs.

 

They don't need to make a roster move to put either Pagan or Pie on the playoff roster. They just choose the one they want and if it's Pagan he's activated from the 15-day DL and he's ready to go. If it's Pie, he was on the active roster on Aug. 31 so he's ready to go instead. But if it's Murton, they have to put Pagan on the 60-day DL to 'activate' Murton.

 

Here's my question about this. Say they put Pagan on the 60 day DL to make a spot for Murton and in the first round Murton breaks his foot. Is Pagan eligible to be added for the second round in place of Murton or are players on the 60-day DL at the beginning of the playoffs gone for the year. I think they are.

 

Isn't that what happened to the A's last year when Mark Ellis got hurt and they had to call Mark Kiger at home and activate him for the ALCS even though he had been home since the AAA season ended on Sept. 1? The guy made his Major League debut in the ALCS. I'm pretty sure it's because the A's couldn't use anybody they'd stashed on the 60-day DL even if they were healthy enough to play.

 

Maybe it just turns out that the guys on the 60-day DL for Oakland really were too hurt to play?

[NCCubFan]

My guess is that it depends on when the player was first placed on the 15-day DL. If it's been more than 60 days then I think the player would be eligible. However, if a previously uninjured player were placed on the 60-day DL to make someone else eligible for the playoff roster then I don't think the player could come back even as an injury replacement if healthy (since he will not have yet spent 60 days on the DL).

[weather2]

I also believe that in 1998 the Cubs added Chris Haney to their postseason roster despite signing him in September. They were granted a waiver, but I'm not sure why.