Greetings,

Question about timing relating to the 40-man...I've got a couple guys not currently on the 40-man in the minors who will be exposed at the end of the season as minor-league free agents that I'd like to keep. Currently the 40-man is full, but at the end of the season a few of these schlubs will be free agents not welcome back.

Is the timing such that the minor league guys I want to keep have to be on 40-man before the schlubs leave? Or, is there a period where the schlubs are gone, room is created, and I can move the minor-league guys onto the 40-man without being exposed?

If not, what is recommended...releasing the schlubs on the last day of the season if I don't make the playoffs?

Thanks again for all your help and advice!

You can add guys to the 40-man between the season rollover and the Rule 5.

At rollover "the schlubs" will become free agents, therefore off your 40. The minor league guys you'd like to keep will become free agents but you'll be able to re-sign them on Day 2 of the new league year.
However, you'd have to watch out for any of them who are about to become major league free agents (sixth year), as their salaries will bump way up.

This is my primary reason for running recall waivers after the trade deadline, planning ahead to drop guys from the 40 near the end of the season, so that I can add those I want to keep before rollover.

If you absolutely know "the schlubs" are getting cut, and will not receive any compensation picks, then yeah you can just cut them loose whenever you want.

ok...if I'm reading the comment correctly, there will be a day when the schlubs are gone and I can sign the minor league free agents exclusively, without them being exposed to other teams, and add them to my 40-man.

Note - this isn't the Rule 5 scenario...it's 6-yr minor league free agents. Specifically, it's arising because of this automated email...

"Since the season is winding down, I just wanted to remind you how important it is to protect our prospects.
Any player not on the 40-man roster with 6+ years of pro ball experience at the end of the year will become a 6-year minor league free-agent. This means he will likely jump ship and command a higher salary. If he's worth holding onto, add him to the 40-man roster. You can view these players on the Free-Agent Report for next season..."

I never pay attention to that message.

6-year minor league free agents are almost never useful at the ML level, because getting to that point means they've survived the Rule 5 at least twice (maybe three times? can't remember). Maybe there's like, a defensive catcher or a designated pinch-runner that you don't want to lose. If that's the case, DFA someone now who you know you're losing for nothing at the end of the year anyway and add the guys you want to keep to your 40-man.

As a side note, you do get an advance opportunity to negotiate with 6-year guys after rollover, but they usually demand salaries far beyond their actual worth, to the point where it's never worth signing them. So if they're not worth a 40-man spot, you just have to let them go, no matter how nice it is to have that 95/95/95/95 defensive shortstop who can't hit chilling in AAA just in case.

As a further, fully tangential, side note, if you have the luxury of keeping a designated pinch-runner on your 40-man, I recommend it. I won a playoff game once because my HBD Terrance Gore pinch-ran after a walk in a tie game in the ninth inning and promptly stole second, third, and home in the same AB. Turned out to be the deciding game in the series, too.

Claudell Washington!

I think Meatloaf wrote a song about that.

Posted by Scotb50 on 12/18/2020 1:49:00 PM (view original):
Claudell Washington!

Um... Herb Washington. Claudell could play some.

that's right!!!

I'm pretty stingy with my 40 man; if they're not worth a place on the ML roster, they're likely not worth a shot on the 40. There are exceptions, like the PR listed above or a defense whiz SS or C - those can difference makers in isolated playoff situations.

Those 6 yr minor leaguers are probably not worth a spot on the 40 (they'd likely have been promoted or taken in R5) and next season their salary will jump to ~$3.5M. Their value is as minimum salary minor league filler.