Dodgers: Three options for expanded roster spots

An agreement between Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association may allow rosters to be expanded to 29 players in the first month of the season. How will that impact the Los Angeles Dodgers?

In the wake of the Coronavirus wreaking havoc on all sports and the world as a whole, Major League Baseball has been trying to figure out how things will shake out once games are able to be played again in 2020. Part of that has been negotiating with the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players’ Association) in regards to compensation, schedule, the draft and more. One of the items on the docket will be the use of expanded roster, which could have an interesting effect on the make-up of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, one of the items being pushed forward in the agreement will be the expansion of team roster to a total of 29 players for the first month of the regular season. This would effectively add three roster spots to each team to help allow for less time off and the possibility of scheduled double-headers in order to get as many games in as possible once play resumes. It would also theoretically allow for the shortening of Spring Training, giving teams more time to evaluate final roster moves, albeit during games that actually count.

It is an interesting decision, to say the least. It may, in theory, result in fewer trades, fewer waiver claims, and overall less movement between teams coming out of Spring Training. With teams trying to plan for depth in the early going of the season, they’ll be less likely to make cuts that would, in turn, be appealing to other teams.

How will teams utilize that increased depth?

The most obvious places that this type of situation will be in pitching and catching. Fewer games lead to less rest between games and starts. Adding more arms and more depth behind the plate will help weather the storm in that first month. Whether a team opts to carry multiple additional pitchers or another catcher obviously impacts who is carried in other roles as well.

So how does that impact the Dodgers?

Let’s take a look at the three most likely candidates to remain on the Los Angeles roster once expansion to 29 players is confirmed.