Yankees: 40-Man Roster Crunch Makes Them Explosive At The Deadline

The Yankees house has room for only forty beds. They’d like to build an addition, but MLB rules do not permit that. This means that some big names will be forced to sleep elsewhere by the end of 2017, or perhaps, even sooner.

The Yankees will soon find themselves as victims of circumstance, which stems from the glut of talent in their organization, and the resulting challenge of deciding on the 40 players they protect versus the ones they’ll be losing when the Rule 5 Draft takes place in December.

And although you might have seen the word December and thought to yourself about how far away that is, the planning for the Yankees begins right now. And some of the fallout from that planning will have immediate consequences on the team as currently constructed.

We’ll get to that in a minute, but first, let’s define what we’re talking about. The Rule 5 Draft is a good rule. It says that after a certain period, a player who is not added to his team’s 40-man roster becomes a free man and can be selected by another team in a special draft that is held on the last day of baseball’s annual winter meetings.

The rule prevents teams from hoarding players and ensures that all players get a fair shake from the team that originally drafted them. For this year, the draft will include high-school players drafted in 2013 and college players who were drafted in 2014.

Normally, this would not be a problem for the Yankees who, until recently, ignored their farm system in favor of signing the big free agents or trading away their minor league talent for an aging star who could help them now rather than later.

That’s all changed, though, and therefore some big changes are coming.

Relying on the research done by James Vlietstra in a compelling story he wrote for Pinstriped Prospects; the Yankees face the prospect of losing Clint Frazier, Dustin Fowler, Tyler Wade, Ian Clarkin, and Billy McKinney to the draft since they are currently not included in the team’s 40-man roster.

Once a player is elevated to the 40-man roster, his status cannot change without the team exposing him on the waiver wire, risking the chance he will be claimed and therefore to another team with nothing coming back to the team. He’s simply gone.

So if for example, the Yankees decide to protect one or more of the above players by moving them to the 40-man roster, that will mean a subtraction from the current roster. In turn, this will lead to a downward spiral of roster changes for all teams in their farm system as one player moves up and another moves down until you reach the lower Class-A levels.

But that’s not the whole problem facing the Yankees. Because when you look closely at the composition of their current 40-man roster, who would you subtract if, for instance, you decided to protect only Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade?

To re-emphasize, this is not a problem the Yankees are used to having. And it’s likely that Brian Cashman will be relying heavily on his managers, coaches, and scouts who are watching these players on an everyday basis.

Among your pitchers, Luis Cessa, Dietrich Enns, Giovanny Gallegos, Domingo German, Chad Green, Ben Heller, Ronald Herrera, Yefry Ramirez, and Chasen Shreve all are currently protected.

As are position players Miguel Andujar, Tyler Austin, Jorge Mateo, Rob Refsnyder, and Mason Williams.

All of them, however, would lose that protection if removed from the 40-man roster to make room for someone else.

Which means for all of the players named, either use ’em or lose ’em. Or more likely, trade ’em while the getting is good. And to make matters worse, or better if you see the cup half-full, none of this includes the players who are going to have big years down below, making them worthy of promotion up the ladder causing an earthquake upward.

Also worth mentioning in the same conversation are CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda, both of whom currently have a bed, but only for this season as their contracts expire at the end of the year. Chase Headley and Brett Gardner each have one more year on their contract. And Masahiro Tanaka may or may not exercise his opt-out clause after 2017.

Add to that list as well, Matt Holliday and Chris Carter who both have one year contracts. Carter will be easily dismissed from the conversation, but Holliday warrants at least a second look as he is already proving to be an invaluable piece of the team puzzle this year.

The Yankees are in a position where they can get proven major league talent, who are both youngish and have favorable team contracts in exchange for their prospects. They do not need to grovel.

Despite what they say, which up to this point has been nothing but pitiful lies, the Pittsburgh Pirates will trade Andrew McCutchen in a heartbeat. The White Sox still have their trade chip in Jose Quintana, and even though the Yankees balked when they saw the price tag last time, they may be willing to come to an agreement now, when both teams have a need to make a move.

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The Milwaukee Brewers, who are in the midst of rebuilding and doing an excellent job of it, will listen to offers for Ryan Braun, who just might re-think his preference for the West Coast for dreams that include the right-field porch at Yankee Stadium.

And the Seattle Mariners, who can’t seem to get out of their way in anything they do, will desperately, though quietly, be trying to unload Felix Hernandez before either he or the team has a mental breakdown. Like Sabathia, Hernandez will soon need to alter his pitching style to accommodate what now is certain – he’s lost that dominating fastball – a change of scenery is imminent.

The Yankees may or may not be interested in any of these players. Brian Cashman will call the shots and right now he has the golden touch, so we’ll leave him alone to do his job.

The Yankees (Ironically) Have A Problem: There’s Too Many Arms

The Yankees, ironically, could find themselves in a position next season where they have too much pitching to support a starting rotation.

Buckle up though, because this is going to be a wild ride.