The following 40-man roster players have less than five years service time and are out of minor league options. That means they must clear waivers before being sent to the minors, so the team would be at risk of losing them in attempting to do so. I’ve included players on multiyear deals. This list was compiled through MLBTR’s sources. Today, we’ll take a look at the NL West.
Diamondbacks: Randall Delgado
Delgado is competing with many pitchers for a spot in the Diamondbacks’ rotation, helping himself with a strong outing Wednesday. Earlier this month, Zach Buchanan of The Arizona Republic took a look at Delgado’s situation. At this point, I would guess Delgado will find his way onto the Opening Day pitching staff, barring a trade.
Rockies: Christian Friedrich, D.J. LeMahieu, Michael McKenry, Tyler Chatwood
Friedrich, the Rockies’ first-round pick in 2008, is now 27 years old. Back in February, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post suggested the lefty has a good shot at making the team’s bullpen. It is a fairly crowded pen, however, so the situation bears watching.
LeMahieu and McKenry have clear spots on the team, while Chatwood is on the 60-day DL due to July 2014 Tommy John surgery.
Dodgers: A.J. Ellis, Chris Hatcher, Juan Nicasio
Ellis will be in a job share with new catching addition Yasmani Grandal. Hatcher and Nicasio are assured spots in the Dodgers’ bullpen, despite lots of competition for the last few jobs.
Padres: Yonder Alonso, Tim Federowicz, Tyson Ross, Dale Thayer, Alex Torres
Everyone here is assured a spot on the team, though Federowicz will start the season on the DL due to knee surgery.
Giants: Erik Cordier, George Kontos, Jean Machi, Ehire Adrianza, Yusmeiro Petit, Gregor Blanco, Travis Ishikawa
The Giants’ “Core Four” of Jeremy Affeldt, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, and Santiago Casilla is locked in for the bullpen. Petit and Ryan Vogelsong are also projected to be in the bullpen, as there’s currently no room in the rotation. That leaves one spot for Machi, Cordier, and Kontos. In addition to those three out-of-options arms, the Giants have the hard-throwing Hunter Strickland in the mix, but Strickland does have options remaining, which could hurt his chances of making the club. Right-hander Juan Gutierrez is in camp as a non-roster invitee as well, and he pitched 63 2/3 innings for San Francisco last year.
Grant Brisbee of McCovey Chronicles assessed this situation earlier this month, noting that a trade and/or injury seems likely. Certainly, teams seeking bullpen depth should be calling the Giants.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News broke down the Giants’ bench situation earlier this month, explaining that Blanco, Joaquin Arias, and a backup catcher will take three of the five spots. Adrianza and Ishikawa could take the last two, but Juan Perez and Matt Duffy are also in the mix.
