The MLB season is entering a decisive phase. In September the squad is expanded, which is not popular with everyone. In addition, the races for the playoffs in the American and National League are really coming to a head. SPOX looks at the situation of the league a month before the postseason.
September is not only the last month of the Regular Season and marks the countdown to the playoffs, it is also the month in which MLB has long since expanded its squad to 40 players. While normally only the players in the 25-player squad may be active, now everyone in the 40-player squad may be active.
All MLB teams should now theoretically activate their entire 40-man squad and use it in one game. Usually, however, they do not and only appoint additional players on a selective basis. This can have several reasons. Especially pitcher are appointed, in order to relieve the available personnel if necessary. This also applies to position players, although they are often used for special roles. Especially fast players, for example, like to act as pinch runners late in the game.
In general, these nominations are a privilege, especially for young talents. Who has earned a callup during the year? Who’s going to get a whiff of Major League air for the first time?
This is also possible because the regular seasons in the Minor Leagues end at the end of August or on the first weekend of September this year and farm teams that do not qualify for the playoffs simply cannot offer the MLB prospects any more play practice.
Of course, not everyone is enthusiastic about this cadre adjustment in September. Quite a few would like to abolish enlargement, as for some it is considered a distortion of competition. Not every team has enough talent to be ready for the Big Leagues, so in the worst case the size of the squad can vary greatly, which can lead to advantages for financially strong teams, especially in playoff races.
For example, there is a proposal to continue leading the 40-man squad in September, but to limit the day’s squad to 25 players. In this way, there would be a maximum of 25 players that could be bet per game. The same applies in the NBA and NFL – and everywhere in football – where more players are allowed in the squad but only a limited number is available on the respective match day.
However, this is an issue for negotiations on the next basic agreement between the league and the players’ union. However, the current CBA will run until the end of 2021, so the current practice will remain as it is for the time being.
As a neutral spectator or for fans of a certain team, you should therefore be happy these days to see some of the best talents in the league at the highest level and under competitive conditions before the best of them make the big breakthrough one day.
As is well known, the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is traditionally 31 July. However, this is not the end of all transfer activities in the MLB. Transfers are still possible in August and many clubs made use of this opportunity again this year.
The only difference to “normal” trades is that players must first go through the Trade Waiver Wire. If they are “claimed”, they may only be traded to the team that submitted the claim. If they go through without a claim, then they can be sent to any team in the league as usual.
Last year, the transfer of pitcher Justin Verlander from the Detroit Tigers to the Houston Astros was certainly the most radiant one. This year, however, a few well-known players also changed clubs.
Page 1: Management expansions and deadline deals
Page 2: Tight races for the playoffs and the best draft picks