VIERA, Fla. – When it comes to putting together that final Nationals 25-man roster, it’s important that the manager has options.
It’s just as important, however, that the general manager has options.
Not to sound redundant, but I’m really talking about two different things. Manager Jim Riggleman wants options in terms of choices: players coming off the bench, or arms in the bullpen. GM Mike Rizzo has to concern himself with making sure that at least some of those 25 players still have minor league options remaining.
So how does that work? Baseball players get three option years. By option, we’re referring to an “optional assignment” to the minor leagues. A player can be on the 40-man big league roster for three years and be sent to the minors — back and forth — for those three years without fear of being lost to another club on a waiver claim. A player with fewer than five years of professional experience can actually be optioned to the minors for a fourth year without being exposed to waivers.
When Mike Rizzo became Nats GM in March 2009, he was saddled with a roster — assembled by the departing Jim Bowden, the Charlie Sheen of baseball GMs — with almost no flexibility. The bullpen he inherited had virtually no minor league options remaining, and there weren’t enough quality arms in the minors ready to jump into the big leagues.
“It wasn’t an ideal situation, that’s for certain,” Rizzo said. “It took a little while to find some guys who could tide us over that season,” referring to some now-departed pitchers like Julian Tavarez, Kip Wells, Joe Beimel and Mike MacDougal.
MacDougal — whose dad was a batboy for the Senators in the 1950’s — ended up saving 20 games for the Nationals that year but was still cut loose that fall. He wasn’t seen as a long-term answer — proven by his work with the Cardinals last year — and had no options remaining.
Currently, the Nationals have only four position players who have no options remaining: Jayson Werth, Rick Ankiel, Mike Morse and Alberto Gonzalez. Gonzalez may be a candidate for release, since the club has other utility possibilities with at least one option remaining.
In the bullpen, free agent Todd Coffey is out of options, as are returning arms Tyler Clippard and Sean Burnett. Henry Rodriguez, acquired from Oakland for Josh Willingham, is also optionless, but could be a candidate for the DL to start the season along with starter Chien Ming-Wang. Lefty Tom Gorzellany is out of options but has a $2.1 million contract.
Rehab assignments don’t require an option, and the rest of the current 40-man roster all have at least one left. However, it should be pointed out that a player with at least five years of big league service time can refuse an option and become a free agent.
The clock is ticking on that final roster. Players with options left may find themselves somewhere other than Nationals Park on March 31.
Examiner columnist Phil Wood is a baseball historian and contributor to MASN’s Nats Xtra. Contact him at [email protected].
