Sunday, December 30, 2012

The current 25-man roster (I think)

With not a whole lot happening since the signings of Greinke and Ryu, and the trades for Schumaker and Rasmussen a few weeks ago, let's take a look at the 25-man roster (or at least what I think it will be).  For the position players, the starter is listed first.

Catcher:
A.J. Ellis
Tim Federowicz

1st Base:
Adrian Gonzalez

2nd Base:
Mark Ellis
Nick Punto

Shortstop:
Hanley Ramirez
Dee Gordon

3rd Base:
Luis Cruz
Jerry Hairston, Jr.

Left Field:
Carl Crawford
Skip Schumaker

Center Field:
Matt Kemp

Right Field:
Andre Ethier

Starting Rotation:
Clayton Kershaw
Zack Greinke
Chad Billingsley
Hyun-Jin Ryu
Josh Beckett

Bullpen:
Brandon League
Kenley Jansen
Ronald Belisario
Javy Guerra
Matt Guerrier
Scott Elbert
Chris Capuano


One thing to keep in mind is that Hairston and Schumaker can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield, so don't pay too much attention to where they're listed above.  I just had to put them somewhere.

A big question that looms is what to do with the Aaron Harang/Capuano combo.  I have Capuano listed in the bullpen because I think he can be a great power arm from the left side for an inning or two.  On the flip side, Harang could be a great option for long relief and spot starts, as we all know injuries cause pitching depth to be key.  For all we know, they both could get traded as well.

There's also injuries to Ted Lilly and Billingsley. Bills looks like he'll avoid surgery, so hopefully he can start the year on time.  The scary part is that he's not at all an effective pitcher when he's not 100%.  Lilly is kind of the forgotten man, but if healthy, it's like picking up another solid starter as a free agent.

A few other guys to keep in mind are Elian Herrera, Justin Sellers, Alex Castellanos, Jamey Wright, Paco Rodriguez, Stephen Fife, Shawn Tolleson, and John Wall.  I refuse to list Juan Uribe.  He sucks so bad, I don't even want to think about him.  Plus there's always January moves to be made, plus the inevitable Spring Training surprise.

In other words, stay tuned for more roster moves.

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