After free agents and DFA’d guys were deleted from the Cubs’ 40-man roster last month, just 31 players remained. That seemed like a small number.
So far this offseason, just three other players have been added back to that 40-man roster, leaving it at 34.
I thought that still sounded pretty small, so I decided to check other teams’ 40-man rosters to see where everyone else stands. The numbers below are as of Monday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. CT, which is when I checked.
The 34 players on the Cubs’ 40-man roster is the fewest of any of the 30 MLB teams. Only one other team is close to that — the Yankees, who have 35 players listed.
Of the other 28 teams, 19 (Astros, Athletics, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Guardians, Giants, Marlins, Mets, Orioles, Pirates, Red Sox, Reds, Royals, Tigers, Twins and White Sox) have full 40-man rosters.
Two (Brewers, Mariners) are at 39.
Six (Nationals, Padres, Phillies, Rangers, Rays and Rockies) are at 38.
And one (Angels) is at 37.
Thus only three teams have more than two open spots.
So… what’s going on here? Why does Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer have six open spots on the team’s 40-man roster when pretty much everyone in baseball is keeping their 40-man rosters full, or nearly so?
Is there a multi-player deal in the works? Are there free-agent signings to come? Is this some sort of long game Hoyer is playing?
I honestly do not know the answer to this. But I bet you all have some thoughts. Have at it. (And I’d appreciate it if your comments are thoughtful and nuanced and not just “Ricketts is cheap.”)