The off-season is full of transactions, but in most cases, you never know when those transactions might take place. That’s not the case today. Today is one of about three or four days during the off-season where you know that a specific team is going to be making a transaction. It’s the day to protect players from the upcoming Rule 5 draft by adding them to the 40-man roster. I wrote about the decisions the Pirates will have to make, noting that they probably have about six players who could realistically be added.
That will mean the Pirates need to create four roster spots, since they currently only have two open on the 40-man roster. Brent Morel, Chaz Roe, Ramon Cabrera, and Jaff Decker look to be the top candidates to be removed from the 40-man roster. Preston Guilmet and Jake Elmore are two other possibilities. The Pirates will need to eventually clear all of these guys, in order to add a few free agents throughout the off-season.
There’s also the possibility that the Pirates could add someone externally via waiver claim. That could happen tomorrow, or sometime in the next few days. Just like the Pirates waiving people to create roster space for their Rule 5 additions, other teams will be clearing players to protect their own prospects. The next few days will feature the biggest waiver activity period of the off-season, which means the odds of the Pirates making a claim are higher. They’ve been no stranger to that in recent years, making claims in addition to their Rule 5 additions.
I don’t think any of the moves coming up will be major, to the point where they will make a huge impact on the 2015 team. The prospects added to the roster might make an impact, but they’re not really new additions to the team. The best you can hope for is that the Pirates might fill a smaller role, like a bench player or a bullpen arm.
As usual, we’ll have coverage of all of the moves, along with a write up of what to expect in 2015 from the prospects who were protected from the Rule 5 draft.
Links and Notes
**Pre-Order the 2015 Prospect Guide
**Mixed Reports on the Pirates Signing Radhames Liz
**Pirates Need to Protect Players Tomorrow From the Rule 5 Draft; Who Should Be Protected?
**Baseball Prospectus Releases Top Ten Pirates Prospect List
**Winter Leagues: Tony Sanchez Makes Debut, News on Melancon, Polanco and Harold Ramirez
