As we embark on an offseason that will become known for its dearth of activity in the dead of winter, the Red Sox actually have some pretty big decisions to make right off the bat. The first of which involves them needing to get their 40-man roster back down to 40 men.
Why is it not at 40 men right now? Well, due to a combination of a rough battle with the injury bug all season, quirky MLB roster rules, and a surprising lack Boston free agents free agents, the Red Sox have an overflow problem. For those unaware, guys placed on the 60-day IL do not count towards a 40-man roster spot. This means that while baseball is being played, teams can have significantly more than 40 guys on their 40 man roster.
The Red Sox took full advantage of this all summer long as injuries piled up, and as of right now, they technically have 47 guys on the roster. However, five days after the World Series ends, the 60-day IL disappears and those on it need to return to the 40-man roster.
Normally, this isn’t a problem because impending free agents also leave the 40-man roster five days after the conclusion of the World Series. However, in Boston’s case, they have only three free agents: Sonny Gray, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Patrick Sandoval. Compare that with the following seven guys all set to come off the 60-day IL:
So now, the Sox have some big decisions to make. Four guys need to be removed from this roster by the middle of next week (a total of seven, but we know three will be the free agents), and the obvious question becomes “who are they?”
To supplement the discussion here, I’ll provide this link to the wonderful folks at Sox Prospects, who keep an excellent 40-man roster page. There’s a few obvious contenders (Eduardo Rivera and Raymond Burgos are the highest on my list), but the actual decision here is complex, as it will partially come down to who the Sox think they might be able to sneak back into their minor league system when all the dust settles.
Either way, this is the first real decision of the offseason, and this thread is a good place to kick off the discussion of who we all think should, and who we all think will be off the 40-man by this time next week. As always, keep it civil, and be good to one another!
