I generally see a lot of mistakes made the week before the season starts and have already seen some questions or moves that mean there are still some people out there reading a note and making a roster decision without looking at the big picture.
Don’t be the guy who saw late yesterday that Drew Pomeranz was cut by the Rockies and immediately put in a waiver claim for a lesser pitcher, dropping Pomeranz. Pomeranz has locked up a spot in the Colorado rotation but they don’t need him to start until Sunday, April 15 in Arizona, so they sent him down to the minors so he can stay on schedule to start that day. That gives them an extra spot for the first two weeks for an extra bullpen pitcher or to make a final decision on their bench.
Perhaps the same with the LA Angels Garrett Richards who is competing with Jerome Williams for the fifth spot in the Halos rotation, but that spot does not come up until April 15 and a game against the Yankees. So both Richards and Williams will continue pitching to be available that day and hope they get picked. Williams was slow coming back from a hamstring problem with his right leg but did pitch four good innings in a minor league game on Saturday. Meanwhile Richards who has been pretty good this spring pitched a solid six innings against the Cubs. This one is too close to call so don’t drop either if you have them because the fifth starter for the Angels will be a valuable pitcher. If I had a free roster spot to pick one up and hope they got the call, I would choose Richards.
In some leagues these situations may present a different opportunity if you have a minor league draft after your auction/draft and the eligibility is based on opening day rosters. Grabbing a guy like Pomeranz in an NL only league or Richards in an AL only league as a minor leaguer might give you an extra pitcher just a few weeks into the season.{jcomments on}