If your team was in playoff contention, would you want them to face a team out of contention with a full 40-man roster while your team kept a 25-man roster? What if your favorite player had to rotate his roster spot every other night to give a call up a chance to play so the playing field could be fair?
For years, Major League general managers have been discussing this topic during the off season winter meetings. Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin has been the most outspoken in years past about the sudden roster change come September 1. “There is no other competitive sport that allows uneven rosters any time in the year. Any time in the year! And now, in the most important month, we’re doing that. How does that make any sense?” –usatoday.com
Cardinals’ General Manager John Mozeliak states that it is odd that for the first five months of the season, teams play with one set of rules (a 25-man roster), and then for the sixth month, they play with a totally different set (up to a 40-man roster). Other managers agree. Angels’ Manager Mike Scioscia believes that it is harmful to the strategy of the game. At first, Reds’ General Manager Walt Jocketty did not agree with Melvin, thinking it was too extreme, but would later change his mind. Royals’ Manager Ned Yost and Orioles’ Manager Buck Showalter have also been vocal in supporting change to this rule.
Several managers have suggested that they should have expanded rosters earlier in the year, for example in April, when veteran bodies are not yet stretched out for full nine inning games everyday. Another option would be to have the teams turn in an active roster of an equal number everyday. That roster could change daily or per series. It could be of 25, 28, 30, or 32 men, but all 30 teams would have to have the same number of active players every day. That would mean rotating players on and off the active roster. So who do you rotate? A struggling player? Someone who needs some rest? The call ups? Starting pitchers would not need to be on the active roster every day.
Let me paint a picture for you. If the Angels have a 27-man roster because they don’t want to upset the chemistry in the clubhouse that has been working so far this year and their guys are healthy, and they are playing the Rangers with a 38-man roster because they are out of contention and want to look at their farm system, how is that fair? The Rangers want to get a good look at their players for next season because they would want to see if those players could help the club next year. But where it does not become fair is the numerous batter vs pitcher match-ups and the extra pinch runners that the team would not have the other five months of the season. These extra “benefits” could potentially keep the contending team out of the postseason.
General managers and managers have no objection to seeing the minor leaguers get service time. In fact, they want to see the young stars play. The problem is just how to work in the playing time during the regular season without having such a major impact on the postseason race and having an even roster for every team. Under the current rules, every team has the option to bring up to 15 extra players in the month of September, but some teams choose not to because of the chemistry in the clubhouse. If the team is succeeding, you may not want to mess with the chemistry in the clubhouse too much. That could take a team down quickly. At the same time, adding to the chemistry could give the team an extra jolt and help. This is one of the most difficult decisions a general manager has to make throughout the long baseball season. As of right now, there is no plan to change the rule of the September call up. But if this current system was not in place, and it was suggested, who would actually vote for it?
There needs to be change in the rule. Whether it is to change the month of expanded rosters, which still does not make sense because no other sport has a different set of rules for part of the season then change the rules later, or if the rule was that each team designated a 25-man roster before each game or series, it would be a better system than what is currently in place. It looks like most managers would agree to the latter. But what matters most is if the general managers agree to vote for the change.
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