Major League Baseball’s 40-man roster is one area where general managers can make minor changes to improve the team’s performance. Only 26 players can be on the major league roster at any one time, but any of the 40 players can play at baseball’s highest level.
This part of building a team has been John Mozeliak’s biggest weakness lately. He has been good at making trades over the past two years. Last year, he was able to sign several players at the trade deadline who had built a weak farm system. And Mozeliak made some smart trades at the trade deadline to improve the St. Louis Cardinals for the home stretch.
Drafting and development, which are not directly under Mozeliak’s purview, have also improved in recent years, with players like Tink Therefore, Quinn Mathews, Cooper Hjerpe and Masyn Winn performing similarly to what is expected of the organization’s top players.
The issue that has most troubled John Mozeliak this year – and which has had a direct impact on coach Oliver Marmol and the team – has been roster construction, particularly the 40-man roster. There are several aspects of the 40-man roster that must be worked around: the injury list, assignment designations, and player promotions/demotions.
There were several instances this year where the team’s president of baseball operations used the 40-man roster poorly. For about four weeks in May, the Cardinals desperately needed a fifth starting pitcher. Steven Matz suffered a back injury on May 1, and the Cardinals were now without a starting pitcher. For a long time, the team was hesitant to name a fifth starter.
Instead of promoting a pitcher from Triple-A Memphis like Gordon Graceffo, Sem Robberse or Michael McGreevy, John Mozeliak used only four true starters in May. Matthew Liberatore, who excelled in the bullpen earlier in the year and wasn’t built to be a starter, got spot starts, but it took quite a while for the organization to decide on Andre Pallante for that role. That indecision hurt the bullpen corps and likely derailed Liberatore’s performance this year.
Another criticism of management this year regarding the 40-man roster was the team’s insistence on keeping veterans Matt Carpenter and Brandon Crawford. Both players are left-handed, both have limited defensive capabilities, and both have been virtually irrelevant on offense this year.
Crawford’s role on the team is based on leadership and giving rookie Masyn Winn a break every 10 days. Carpenter is the 26th man on the roster, so his playing time should be limited anyway. He has provided the necessary leadership, but from a playmaking perspective, Carpenter hasn’t contributed much either.
These spots could be filled by up-and-coming young players like Jose Fermin, Thomas Saggese and Luken Baker. These three offer higher upside, are cheaper and offer much more versatility on the field.
The most recent case of 40-man roster abuse occurred when Michael Siani was sidelined with an oblique abdominal muscle injury in early August. Siani had become a staple in the Cardinals’ outfield this year because of his defense and had begun to show signs of life on offense. Much like earlier in the season, the organization sent Victor Scott II to the major leagues. He had just begun to show signs of success in Memphis, but rather than allow Scott to build his confidence on offense, the organization decided to push him into an uncomfortable spot in the major leagues.
The Cardinals could have signed outfielder Matt Koperniak, a player who hits .313/.368/.506 and provides great defense in the outfield. This would have required a change to the 40-man roster, as Koperniak is currently out. The Cardinals have enough players to move around to make room for the young outfielder. Instead, Victor Scott’s progress in the minors is once again halted.
Great teams can get through the eye of the needle in more ways than one, and John Mozeliak failed to do that with the 40-man roster this year. The team’s POBO had opportunities to make moves that would significantly improve the team, but he failed to capitalize on those opportunities.
