Colorado Rockies: 40-man roster moves on Monday

On today, Monday, November 20, by 6 PM MT, all 30 MLB teams had to submit their 40-man rosters to Commissioner Rob Manfred. This is so that the players eligible for the Rule Five draft that will take place at the Winter Meetings in mid-December in Orlando, Florida.

Today, the Colorado Rockies submitted their 40-man roster to the MLB offices in New York City. All players on the 40-man roster are protected from the Rule Five draft in December. This is when teams draft minor league players from other teams for a nominal charge but that player must stay on the other club’s 25-man major league roster for the entirety of the 2018 season for the receiving club to keep the player.

If they option him to the minors or designate him for assignment, the other 28 teams not involved have a shot to claim the player. If none of the other 28 claim the player, he must be returned to his original team.

Who did the Rockies add to the 40-man roster

Entering today, with players leaving via free agency a few weeks ago, the Rockies 40-man roster was at 32 players. Today, the Rockies announced that they added minor league outfielder Yonathan Daza, left handed-pitcher Sam Howard, catcher Chris Rabago, and right-handed pitcher Jesus Tinoco to the roster to bring the roster to a total of 37 players.

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Final Thoughts

The Rockies did not decide to use all 40 spots, which is an interesting move, but there is some logic behind it. First off, in the upper levels of the minor leagues, many of the players have been in minors long enough that they can be minor league free agents so there are not as many players to protect as you would think.

Secondly, the player’s in the minor leagues that aren’t protected are not top prospects so other teams will probably not want to be hindered by having to carry a minor leaguer on their MLB roster all season (and most teams don’t or, end up finding out that they can’t).

Lastly, and most unlikely, it could show that the Rockies are leaving room for an impending signing. I say that this is the most unlikely scenario because, after all, Thanksgiving is on Thursday. Usually, there’s not much action around this time of the year.

Next: On Monday, the Rockies 2018 spring training schedule was released

However, after Thanksgiving, it could very well be a different story.