Minor Moves: Depth’s Important Role in the Outcome of an MLB Season
The 2021 MLB lockout has forced teams to focus on improving their depth while they await more certainty with the CBA.
MLB’s Depth Dependency
Every factor plays into a championship run in the MLB. Whether that be the signing of a multi-million-dollar superstar or depth signings, unsung heroes play a major factor in how a team performs over the course of a 162-game season. Teams need backups to their backups because anything can happen in the MLB. Take the 2021 Atlanta Braves, who won the World Series, for an example of how multiple unexpected players stepped up when it mattered most. Not one rational person in the baseball world thought the trade of bench-afficionado Pablo Sandoval for Eddie Rosario would play as it did, with Rosario performing at the highest level on one of the biggest stages during the 2021 MLB playoffs. Teams make countless depth moves each year, most of them glossed over by the public, but these types of moves bolter the bottom of a team’s roster and give greater flexibility when it matters most. Therefore, while it is easier to skip some of these depth acquisitions from a fan perspective, the truth is that organizations are only as good as the bottom of their roster.
Starting Pitching depth is one of the most important areas of any team’s roster. Given the unpredictability of a player’s outcomes, or injuries springing up, during the season, teams cannot rely on one, two, or even three pitchers to carry most of the innings’ load. Teams that compete at a high level often have seven to eight MLB-caliber Starting Pitchers—five initially, with three able to fill in over a season due to performance or injury. The 2021 New York Mets had terrible injury luck in the second half of the season, with Jacob DeGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Taijuan Walker, Tylor Megill, and David Peterson all facing injury or ineffectiveness. Marcus Stroman and Rich Hill were the only starters to pitch well or dependably in the second half. The Mets realized they needed a strong-armed, durable, and proven ace to go along with Jacob DeGrom, who is coming back from injury, and signed Max Scherzer to the highest AAV contract ever in the offseason. The Mets shouldn’t be done during the offseason with regards to Starting Pitching, because if last season is any indication, injury luck will not go in their favor.
Hitting depth is also crucial to the structure of a championship-caliber roster. While hitters may face some of the worst failures in all of sports, there needs to be backups and backups to the backups to account for anything that goes wrong. Positional flexibility is a must and if backups cannot play more than one position, they are at risk of losing their jobs on the big-league roster. Except for Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor, there are not many multi-position players who can hit at a premier level. That makes the role of each starter that much more important. However, relying on starting position players could put them at higher risk of injury or declining performance. This is the struggle of managers on a game-to-game basis.
Lockout Puts Added Emphasis on Depth Signings
The MLBPA and the MLB (league body) are at a standoff between the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from issues ranging from salaries, competitive advantage, rule changes, and more. With teams not able to add players from free agency or trades, the only methods of acquiring players during the lockout was during the Minor League Rule 5 Draft, which took place on December 8th, or signing free agents to Minor League contracts. For those who aren’t aware of what the Minor League Rule 5 draft is, it’s an annual draft that allows teams to take any player in other organizations that were not on their 40-man roster. Last offseason the Red Sox poached standout Relief Pitcher Garrett Whitlock from the New York Yankees in the Major League portion of the draft. Whitlock went on to post a 1.96 ERA, with a 9.4 SO/9, and 65 strikeouts in 62 innings. The Red Sox essentially got an ace long reliever for free. The Rule 5 Draft may not have championship implications, especially on the Minor League level, but it’s a way to even the disparity of terrific farm systems from the worst.
They may not be flashy moves, but the depth signings that are currently happening in the MLB will make an impact in some way shape or form throughout the course of the MLB season. Obviously, it’s impossible to predict which player will go on the IL or which players will perform terribly or terrific, but these kinds of signings do make a difference. For now, outside of CBA updates, they are the only new information that fans can hear. Some depth signings that were completed during the week of December 5th includes Infielder Jose Peraza to the New York Yankees, Relief Pitcher Michael Feliz to the Boston Red Sox, and Sandy Leon to the Cleveland Guardians. These moves aren’t exciting, but each of these players could see time in the Major Leagues in 2022.
2021 Current Offseason Outlook
Smart MLB Teams will utilize this free agent embargo to add Minor League depth, especially from a Starting Pitching perspective to ensure that they’re prepared in a worst-case scenario. If your favorite team isn’t active, it’s likely an indication that the uncertainty in the MLB free agent market is affecting their MILB pursuits. No MLB team is perfect, and even the best teams have holes they need to fill once the lockout ends, so teams should be prepared for the possibility of a shortened “open transaction period.” This could mean an active market with a Black Friday-esque shopping spree to ensure that teams fill their roster holes before the season starts. Fans may hope their teams sign as many players as they can, but when teams spend hundreds of millions on multiple players in one offseason, there is a likelier outcome of those signings not working out. Teams that complete smart and in-depth research on adding players have a better chance of those working out than a blank-check philosophy.
No matter how the rest of the offseason shakes out, it’s clear that depth will play as much a role in 2022 as in past seasons. While the lockout is inherently a negative to the sport of baseball, Minor League additions are finally generating media attention, which positively boosts the income of the teams that are adding depth. Teams should investigate filling out their depth charts to gain a competitive advantage over teams that are sitting idly by and willing to sit out the rest of the off-season. Major League player acquisitions may have stopped, but the market for Minor League players has increased and allowed for greater media attention to Minor League players than typically seen.
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