Miami Marlins: Projecting the 25-man Roster

With the Miami Marlins making two moves Monday morning and one more in the evening, they have trimmed their roster down to 33 players left in camp. The team will need to trim another 8 players over the next 6 days, with the majority of the moves likely coming after their Grapefruit League finale on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.

We already know what the majority of the 25-man roster will look like. There is still a competition between four players for the final two bench roles. The bullpen also seems all but set, with it seeming like Sam Dyson and Aaron Crow are battling for the final spot.

Before we get to projecting the Miami Marlins 25-man roster for Opening Day, we also have to keep the 40-man roster in mind. The 40-man roster is currently sitting at 39 players with Andrew McKirahan sitting on waivers. When the team transfers Jose Fernandez over to the 60-day DL, that number will dip down to 38.

Both Aaron Crow and Sam Dyson are already on the 40-man roster and both have minor league options left, so neither are in danger of losing their spot on the 40-man roster and both are not going to need a transaction to clear a spot on the roster for them.

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The infield competition is where it all gets messy. Donovan Solano should be a front-runner for one of the bench options, as he’s familiar with the team already and is on the 40-man roster. With the team also seeking someone that can back up short, Solano is almost assured a spot on the team when the final cuts happen over the next couple of days. This could also end up hurting Solano.

None of the other 3 options that the team is looking at are currently on the 40-man roster. Don Kelly, Reid Brignac, and Jordany Valdespin are all minor league invites. Adding any of these three would require a 40-man roster spot being evacuated.

However, with the Marlins holding two open spots right now, all 3 players chances of sticking with the team look a little better. Valdespin, while like Kelly and Brignac, is on a minor league invite, he does not have an opt-out clause with the team. Meaning the Marlins could option him to Triple-A and not risk losing him. This hurts his chances of making the team.

In the same boat as Valdespin, Solano could be regulated to the minors as well. He still has minor league options with the team and isn’t at the risk of being lost via waivers if the team demotes him.

With this information in mind, here is my prediction for how the 25-man roster will look on April 6th:

• Jarrod Saltalamacchia
• Jeff Mathis
• Michael Morse
• Jeff Baker
• Dee Gordon
• Adeiny Hechavarria
• Reid Brignac
• Martin Prado
• Don Kelly
• Christian Yelich
• Marcell Ozuna
• Giancarlo Stanton
• Ichiro Suzuki

No major surprises for the hitters here. While most people assume Solano will make the roster, I predict his options and already being on the team helps his chances to start the season in the minors and be called up in case of an injury or bad performance.

With Mathis, Baker, Brignac, Kelly, and Suzuki all on the bench, that is an extremely weak group of bats. Though the alternates don’t seem too rosy either.

Heres how the pitching staff will look:

• Henderson Alvarez
• Mat Latos
• Dan Haren
• Tom Koehler
• Jarred Cosart
• Steve Cishek
• Mike Dunn
• A.J. Ramos
• Bryan Morris
• Aaron Crow
• Brad Hand
• David Phelps

With the Miami Marlins placing McKirahan on waivers yesterday, it all but ruled out the possibility of a 13-man pitching staff to begin the season. Instead, the Marlins will likely carry a conventional roster on Opening Day.

What do you guys think? Who will make the Opening Day 25-man roster. Let your voice be heard in the comments section.

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