I believe MLB rules limit the number of pitchers at 13.ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 07:12 am I wonder if any team has tried 12 position players and 14 pitchers in the universal DH era. I ask because of Marmol's tendency to leave a SP in to throw a designated number of pitches when he is struggling in order to save the bullpen. Pinch hitters and double switches don't happen as frequently as in the past.
13 position players
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Re: 13 position players
Re: 13 position players
13 pitchers is the limit. 14 is not an option.ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 07:12 am I wonder if any team has tried 12 position players and 14 pitchers in the universal DH era. I ask because of Marmol's tendency to leave a SP in to throw a designated number of pitches when he is struggling in order to save the bullpen. Pinch hitters and double switches don't happen as frequently as in the past.
-
rockondlouie
- Forum User
- Posts: 13493
- Joined: 23 May 2024 12:41 pm
Re: 13 position players
The thought would be ..."If he can at least be close to league average throwing out runners (highly doubtful barring a miracle) and handling a pitching staff, then his bat would be elite.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:37 pmI don't understand what is to gain by putting Herrera back to C.rockondlouie wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:28 pmWe'll have to see when the dust settles from the trades.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
But I don't see them playing I. Hererra being in LF (and I was the one who floated the OF idea in 2024 so you know I'd like to see it).
Also don't see Fermin at 3rd base, they're going w/Norman unless NADO isn't dealt.
If NADO's here, then you can bet the house Oli will ink him in at 3rd base ().
From what we can gather they may even try Herrera again behind the plate (YIKES!) and if not, then he'll be at DH if Norman is at 3rd base.
But too many balls up in the air (is Donny dealt.........how about WillyC........NADO?) for us to really make a decent call.
Stay tuned.
Yes, in mine you could have Herrera DH, Gorman 3B, and Fermin LF. That very well could be how it goes.
Maybe they will add a 1 year veteran OF when it's all said and done.
That's been my call for a while too C-U, hopefully Bloom can find a low cost, veteran to upgrade the OF which could be really bad if it's Church-VSII-Walker.
Re: 13 position players
His bat would be elite.rockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 08:34 amThe thought would be ..."If he can at least be close to league average throwing out runners (highly doubtful barring a miracle) and handling a pitching staff, then his bat would be elite.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:37 pmI don't understand what is to gain by putting Herrera back to C.rockondlouie wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:28 pmWe'll have to see when the dust settles from the trades.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
But I don't see them playing I. Hererra being in LF (and I was the one who floated the OF idea in 2024 so you know I'd like to see it).
Also don't see Fermin at 3rd base, they're going w/Norman unless NADO isn't dealt.
If NADO's here, then you can bet the house Oli will ink him in at 3rd base ().
From what we can gather they may even try Herrera again behind the plate (YIKES!) and if not, then he'll be at DH if Norman is at 3rd base.
But too many balls up in the air (is Donny dealt.........how about WillyC........NADO?) for us to really make a decent call.
Stay tuned.
Yes, in mine you could have Herrera DH, Gorman 3B, and Fermin LF. That very well could be how it goes.
Maybe they will add a 1 year veteran OF when it's all said and done.
That's been my call for a while too C-U, hopefully Bloom can find a low cost, veteran to upgrade the OF which could be really bad if it's Church-VSII-Walker.![]()
Sure. In the scenario I paint it means you'd get to play two of Saggese, Fermin, Prieto (or Church) in the lineup at the same time. What's to gain in that? In the future, maybe we develop enough outfielders and DHs that it would be advantageous if Herrera can stick at C. But then what about Bernal. You can tell me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like Bernal is actually a Catcher who belongs at the Catcher positon. A potential franchise Catcher. So I just don't think there's a need to have Herrera at Catcher despite the bat being elite.
Now let's go down the list of free agent outfielders. After the top 3 names (Bellinger, Tucker, BADER) ranked by 2025 War. Let's see who is down on that list after that.
O'Hearn
Tauchman
Hays
Andujar
Refsnyder
Adam Frazier
Adolis
S. Marte
Kepler
Willi Castro
Pham
Slater
Winter
C. McCormick
McCutchen
JJ Bleday
Margot
Kike Hernandez
Carlson
Grichuk
Heyward
MJ Melendez
Conforto
Canha
Verdugo
I'm painting, of course, a scenario in which Donovan, Arenado, Nootbaar, and Contreras are all gone and not a factor in the 2026 roster. If Bloom has his way, I'm pretty sure that's what we would be looking at. It's not far-fetched.
In that case, I think I would welcome pretty much ANY name on that list to help with OF depth
Let's put all the names at the correct defensive position
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
DH Herrera
3B Gorman
RF Walker
LF (free agent outfielder)
C Crooks
CF Scott II
Bench: Saggese, Fermin, Pozo, Prieto / Church
Pick any name you want from the free agent list.
There are some interesting names there (Bleday, Melendez) that I didn't realize were DFA'd. I would certainly take a OHearn, Tauchman, Andujar, Hays etc to see what happens.
-
rockondlouie
- Forum User
- Posts: 13493
- Joined: 23 May 2024 12:41 pm
Re: 13 position players
Bernal absolutely should get his shot, perhaps even in 2026 if they deal P. Pages (I would) and Hererra flops.C-Unit wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 10:15 amHis bat would be elite.rockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 08:34 amThe thought would be ..."If he can at least be close to league average throwing out runners (highly doubtful barring a miracle) and handling a pitching staff, then his bat would be elite.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:37 pmI don't understand what is to gain by putting Herrera back to C.rockondlouie wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:28 pmWe'll have to see when the dust settles from the trades.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
But I don't see them playing I. Hererra being in LF (and I was the one who floated the OF idea in 2024 so you know I'd like to see it).
Also don't see Fermin at 3rd base, they're going w/Norman unless NADO isn't dealt.
If NADO's here, then you can bet the house Oli will ink him in at 3rd base ().
From what we can gather they may even try Herrera again behind the plate (YIKES!) and if not, then he'll be at DH if Norman is at 3rd base.
But too many balls up in the air (is Donny dealt.........how about WillyC........NADO?) for us to really make a decent call.
Stay tuned.
Yes, in mine you could have Herrera DH, Gorman 3B, and Fermin LF. That very well could be how it goes.
Maybe they will add a 1 year veteran OF when it's all said and done.
That's been my call for a while too C-U, hopefully Bloom can find a low cost, veteran to upgrade the OF which could be really bad if it's Church-VSII-Walker.![]()
Sure. In the scenario I paint it means you'd get to play two of Saggese, Fermin, Prieto (or Church) in the lineup at the same time. What's to gain in that? In the future, maybe we develop enough outfielders and DHs that it would be advantageous if Herrera can stick at C. But then what about Bernal. You can tell me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like Bernal is actually a Catcher who belongs at the Catcher positon. A potential franchise Catcher. So I just don't think there's a need to have Herrera at Catcher despite the bat being elite.
Now let's go down the list of free agent outfielders. After the top 3 names (Bellinger, Tucker, BADER) ranked by 2025 War. Let's see who is down on that list after that.
O'Hearn
Tauchman
Hays
Andujar
Refsnyder
Adam Frazier
Adolis
S. Marte
Kepler
Willi Castro
Pham
Slater
Winter
C. McCormick
McCutchen
JJ Bleday
Margot
Kike Hernandez
Carlson
Grichuk
Heyward
MJ Melendez
Conforto
Canha
Verdugo
I'm painting, of course, a scenario in which Donovan, Arenado, Nootbaar, and Contreras are all gone and not a factor in the 2026 roster. If Bloom has his way, I'm pretty sure that's what we would be looking at. It's not far-fetched.
In that case, I think I would welcome pretty much ANY name on that list to help with OF depth
Let's put all the names at the correct defensive position
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
DH Herrera
3B Gorman
RF Walker
LF (free agent outfielder)
C Crooks
CF Scott II
Bench: Saggese, Fermin, Pozo, Prieto / Church
Pick any name you want from the free agent list.
There are some interesting names there (Bleday, Melendez) that I didn't realize were DFA'd. I would certainly take a OHearn, Tauchman, Andujar, Hays etc to see what happens.
But I'd say R. Rodriguez could be the one to eventually be the franchise catcher but not for a few years, then it could make Bernal a strong trade candidate one day unless he's a real stud.
On that list I guess I'd take first shot at Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Rob Refsnyder (and I always liked Starling Marte but he's 37 yrs old) and anyone of them only on a one year deal.
Re: 13 position players
I guess my impression of Rainiel is that he is a bat first guy. I haven't read much about his catching skills, maybe he is exceptional as a defensive Catcher in which case you could potentially have a future borderline MVP type player (if he is a plus Catcher, team leader like Yadi, who can also hit 40 homers).rockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 11:12 amBernal absolutely should get his shot, perhaps even in 2026 if they deal P. Pages (I would) and Hererra flops.C-Unit wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 10:15 amHis bat would be elite.rockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 08:34 amThe thought would be ..."If he can at least be close to league average throwing out runners (highly doubtful barring a miracle) and handling a pitching staff, then his bat would be elite.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:37 pmI don't understand what is to gain by putting Herrera back to C.rockondlouie wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:28 pmWe'll have to see when the dust settles from the trades.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
But I don't see them playing I. Hererra being in LF (and I was the one who floated the OF idea in 2024 so you know I'd like to see it).
Also don't see Fermin at 3rd base, they're going w/Norman unless NADO isn't dealt.
If NADO's here, then you can bet the house Oli will ink him in at 3rd base ().
From what we can gather they may even try Herrera again behind the plate (YIKES!) and if not, then he'll be at DH if Norman is at 3rd base.
But too many balls up in the air (is Donny dealt.........how about WillyC........NADO?) for us to really make a decent call.
Stay tuned.
Yes, in mine you could have Herrera DH, Gorman 3B, and Fermin LF. That very well could be how it goes.
Maybe they will add a 1 year veteran OF when it's all said and done.
That's been my call for a while too C-U, hopefully Bloom can find a low cost, veteran to upgrade the OF which could be really bad if it's Church-VSII-Walker.![]()
Sure. In the scenario I paint it means you'd get to play two of Saggese, Fermin, Prieto (or Church) in the lineup at the same time. What's to gain in that? In the future, maybe we develop enough outfielders and DHs that it would be advantageous if Herrera can stick at C. But then what about Bernal. You can tell me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like Bernal is actually a Catcher who belongs at the Catcher positon. A potential franchise Catcher. So I just don't think there's a need to have Herrera at Catcher despite the bat being elite.
Now let's go down the list of free agent outfielders. After the top 3 names (Bellinger, Tucker, BADER) ranked by 2025 War. Let's see who is down on that list after that.
O'Hearn
Tauchman
Hays
Andujar
Refsnyder
Adam Frazier
Adolis
S. Marte
Kepler
Willi Castro
Pham
Slater
Winter
C. McCormick
McCutchen
JJ Bleday
Margot
Kike Hernandez
Carlson
Grichuk
Heyward
MJ Melendez
Conforto
Canha
Verdugo
I'm painting, of course, a scenario in which Donovan, Arenado, Nootbaar, and Contreras are all gone and not a factor in the 2026 roster. If Bloom has his way, I'm pretty sure that's what we would be looking at. It's not far-fetched.
In that case, I think I would welcome pretty much ANY name on that list to help with OF depth
Let's put all the names at the correct defensive position
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
DH Herrera
3B Gorman
RF Walker
LF (free agent outfielder)
C Crooks
CF Scott II
Bench: Saggese, Fermin, Pozo, Prieto / Church
Pick any name you want from the free agent list.
There are some interesting names there (Bleday, Melendez) that I didn't realize were DFA'd. I would certainly take a OHearn, Tauchman, Andujar, Hays etc to see what happens.
But I'd say R. Rodriguez could be the one to eventually be the franchise catcher but not for a few years, then it could make Bernal a strong trade candidate one day unless he's a real stud.
On that list I guess I'd take first shot at Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Rob Refsnyder (and I always liked Starling Marte but he's 37 yrs old) and anyone of them only on a one year deal.
But it sounds like if Rodriguez were to be plucked at 1B, he would certainly have the bat for the position.
If I were to take a guess at the future (2028+), I would guess it's Bernal at C, RRodriguez at 1B, and Herrera DH/LF. And then if Burleson is still here he would also be DH/OF, filling in at 1B.
-
rockondlouie
- Forum User
- Posts: 13493
- Joined: 23 May 2024 12:41 pm
Re: 13 position players
R.R. Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 55C-Unit wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 12:02 pmI guess my impression of Rainiel is that he is a bat first guy. I haven't read much about his catching skills, maybe he is exceptional as a defensive Catcher in which case you could potentially have a future borderline MVP type player (if he is a plus Catcher, team leader like Yadi, who can also hit 40 homers).rockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 11:12 amBernal absolutely should get his shot, perhaps even in 2026 if they deal P. Pages (I would) and Hererra flops.C-Unit wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 10:15 amHis bat would be elite.rockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 08:34 amThe thought would be ..."If he can at least be close to league average throwing out runners (highly doubtful barring a miracle) and handling a pitching staff, then his bat would be elite.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:37 pmI don't understand what is to gain by putting Herrera back to C.rockondlouie wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:28 pmWe'll have to see when the dust settles from the trades.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
But I don't see them playing I. Hererra being in LF (and I was the one who floated the OF idea in 2024 so you know I'd like to see it).
Also don't see Fermin at 3rd base, they're going w/Norman unless NADO isn't dealt.
If NADO's here, then you can bet the house Oli will ink him in at 3rd base ().
From what we can gather they may even try Herrera again behind the plate (YIKES!) and if not, then he'll be at DH if Norman is at 3rd base.
But too many balls up in the air (is Donny dealt.........how about WillyC........NADO?) for us to really make a decent call.
Stay tuned.
Yes, in mine you could have Herrera DH, Gorman 3B, and Fermin LF. That very well could be how it goes.
Maybe they will add a 1 year veteran OF when it's all said and done.
That's been my call for a while too C-U, hopefully Bloom can find a low cost, veteran to upgrade the OF which could be really bad if it's Church-VSII-Walker.![]()
Sure. In the scenario I paint it means you'd get to play two of Saggese, Fermin, Prieto (or Church) in the lineup at the same time. What's to gain in that? In the future, maybe we develop enough outfielders and DHs that it would be advantageous if Herrera can stick at C. But then what about Bernal. You can tell me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like Bernal is actually a Catcher who belongs at the Catcher positon. A potential franchise Catcher. So I just don't think there's a need to have Herrera at Catcher despite the bat being elite.
Now let's go down the list of free agent outfielders. After the top 3 names (Bellinger, Tucker, BADER) ranked by 2025 War. Let's see who is down on that list after that.
O'Hearn
Tauchman
Hays
Andujar
Refsnyder
Adam Frazier
Adolis
S. Marte
Kepler
Willi Castro
Pham
Slater
Winter
C. McCormick
McCutchen
JJ Bleday
Margot
Kike Hernandez
Carlson
Grichuk
Heyward
MJ Melendez
Conforto
Canha
Verdugo
I'm painting, of course, a scenario in which Donovan, Arenado, Nootbaar, and Contreras are all gone and not a factor in the 2026 roster. If Bloom has his way, I'm pretty sure that's what we would be looking at. It's not far-fetched.
In that case, I think I would welcome pretty much ANY name on that list to help with OF depth
Let's put all the names at the correct defensive position
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
DH Herrera
3B Gorman
RF Walker
LF (free agent outfielder)
C Crooks
CF Scott II
Bench: Saggese, Fermin, Pozo, Prieto / Church
Pick any name you want from the free agent list.
There are some interesting names there (Bleday, Melendez) that I didn't realize were DFA'd. I would certainly take a OHearn, Tauchman, Andujar, Hays etc to see what happens.
But I'd say R. Rodriguez could be the one to eventually be the franchise catcher but not for a few years, then it could make Bernal a strong trade candidate one day unless he's a real stud.
On that list I guess I'd take first shot at Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Rob Refsnyder (and I always liked Starling Marte but he's 37 yrs old) and anyone of them only on a one year deal.
But it sounds like if Rodriguez were to be plucked at 1B, he would certainly have the bat for the position.
If I were to take a guess at the future (2028+), I would guess it's Bernal at C, RRodriguez at 1B, and Herrera DH/LF. And then if Burleson is still here he would also be DH/OF, filling in at 1B.
Bat first but he's still a baby at 18 yrs old, plenty of time for him to hone his catching skills (especially accelerated if Yadi would work with him).
I'd like to hear duce weigh in on this, get his views on Bernal vs R.R.
Re: 13 position players
Arenado not getting traded is a distinct possibility. Nobody pays for 3B defense, nobody. If the Cardinals cover half his salary, and team with a small ballpark has a 3B need, then there could be a match. But, Arenado getting traded isn't a forgone conclusion. And, it's all on Arenado both on and off the field.Alex Reyes Cy Young wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 06:36 am I know some of the comments indicate that they want to move on from Nado, but his market is non-existent unless you are eating all his salary. I don't see that happening, he's the 3rd baseman if healthy.
Now what's interesting to me is how the DH / 1st base will work out if WC is moved and who fills in for Donovan if/when (I truly believe he is moved) and with the outside shoot of Noot being moved that would be interesting as well.
Re: 13 position players
I would like to hear the samerockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 12:40 pmR.R. Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 55C-Unit wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 12:02 pmI guess my impression of Rainiel is that he is a bat first guy. I haven't read much about his catching skills, maybe he is exceptional as a defensive Catcher in which case you could potentially have a future borderline MVP type player (if he is a plus Catcher, team leader like Yadi, who can also hit 40 homers).rockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 11:12 amBernal absolutely should get his shot, perhaps even in 2026 if they deal P. Pages (I would) and Hererra flops.C-Unit wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 10:15 amHis bat would be elite.rockondlouie wrote: ↑15 Dec 2025 08:34 amThe thought would be ..."If he can at least be close to league average throwing out runners (highly doubtful barring a miracle) and handling a pitching staff, then his bat would be elite.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:37 pmI don't understand what is to gain by putting Herrera back to C.rockondlouie wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 14:28 pmWe'll have to see when the dust settles from the trades.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
But I don't see them playing I. Hererra being in LF (and I was the one who floated the OF idea in 2024 so you know I'd like to see it).
Also don't see Fermin at 3rd base, they're going w/Norman unless NADO isn't dealt.
If NADO's here, then you can bet the house Oli will ink him in at 3rd base ().
From what we can gather they may even try Herrera again behind the plate (YIKES!) and if not, then he'll be at DH if Norman is at 3rd base.
But too many balls up in the air (is Donny dealt.........how about WillyC........NADO?) for us to really make a decent call.
Stay tuned.
Yes, in mine you could have Herrera DH, Gorman 3B, and Fermin LF. That very well could be how it goes.
Maybe they will add a 1 year veteran OF when it's all said and done.
That's been my call for a while too C-U, hopefully Bloom can find a low cost, veteran to upgrade the OF which could be really bad if it's Church-VSII-Walker.![]()
Sure. In the scenario I paint it means you'd get to play two of Saggese, Fermin, Prieto (or Church) in the lineup at the same time. What's to gain in that? In the future, maybe we develop enough outfielders and DHs that it would be advantageous if Herrera can stick at C. But then what about Bernal. You can tell me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like Bernal is actually a Catcher who belongs at the Catcher positon. A potential franchise Catcher. So I just don't think there's a need to have Herrera at Catcher despite the bat being elite.
Now let's go down the list of free agent outfielders. After the top 3 names (Bellinger, Tucker, BADER) ranked by 2025 War. Let's see who is down on that list after that.
O'Hearn
Tauchman
Hays
Andujar
Refsnyder
Adam Frazier
Adolis
S. Marte
Kepler
Willi Castro
Pham
Slater
Winter
C. McCormick
McCutchen
JJ Bleday
Margot
Kike Hernandez
Carlson
Grichuk
Heyward
MJ Melendez
Conforto
Canha
Verdugo
I'm painting, of course, a scenario in which Donovan, Arenado, Nootbaar, and Contreras are all gone and not a factor in the 2026 roster. If Bloom has his way, I'm pretty sure that's what we would be looking at. It's not far-fetched.
In that case, I think I would welcome pretty much ANY name on that list to help with OF depth
Let's put all the names at the correct defensive position
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
DH Herrera
3B Gorman
RF Walker
LF (free agent outfielder)
C Crooks
CF Scott II
Bench: Saggese, Fermin, Pozo, Prieto / Church
Pick any name you want from the free agent list.
There are some interesting names there (Bleday, Melendez) that I didn't realize were DFA'd. I would certainly take a OHearn, Tauchman, Andujar, Hays etc to see what happens.
But I'd say R. Rodriguez could be the one to eventually be the franchise catcher but not for a few years, then it could make Bernal a strong trade candidate one day unless he's a real stud.
On that list I guess I'd take first shot at Miguel Andujar, Austin Hays, Rob Refsnyder (and I always liked Starling Marte but he's 37 yrs old) and anyone of them only on a one year deal.
But it sounds like if Rodriguez were to be plucked at 1B, he would certainly have the bat for the position.
If I were to take a guess at the future (2028+), I would guess it's Bernal at C, RRodriguez at 1B, and Herrera DH/LF. And then if Burleson is still here he would also be DH/OF, filling in at 1B.
Bat first but he's still a baby at 18 yrs old, plenty of time for him to hone his catching skills (especially accelerated if Yadi would work with him).
I'd like to hear duce weigh in on this, get his views on Bernal vs R.R.
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sikeston bulldog2
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Re: 13 position players
Roughly 390 position players on the 26 man rosters. Five per team are keepers. That’s 150 off the 390. Now you are attempting to fill eight spots from a pool of 240. I would think you are soon to hit diminishing returns.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
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sikeston bulldog2
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Re: 13 position players
When I think about it, with 29 other teams attempting to fill eight spots each from the same 240 pool, is it really a question of getting eight more quality players, or avoiding getting the lower end of the pool.sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑16 Dec 2025 06:58 amRoughly 390 position players on the 26 man rosters. Five per team are keepers. That’s 150 off the 390. Now you are attempting to fill eight spots from a pool of 240. I would think you are soon to hit diminishing returns.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
Re: 13 position players
Well, in the case that we end up with the stripped down roster I laid out I don't think we have 5 keepers, maybe 4. Among the rest, most of those players don't look very covetable by the rest of teams.sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑16 Dec 2025 07:41 amWhen I think about it, with 29 other teams attempting to fill eight spots each from the same 240 pool, is it really a question of getting eight more quality players, or avoiding getting the lower end of the pool.sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑16 Dec 2025 06:58 amRoughly 390 position players on the 26 man rosters. Five per team are keepers. That’s 150 off the 390. Now you are attempting to fill eight spots from a pool of 240. I would think you are soon to hit diminishing returns.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
To your point, look where the Dodgers are, they can (bleep) away players other teams would covet. Excess.
We will have to build the depth. It won't happen in one year.
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sikeston bulldog2
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Re: 13 position players
I consider the Dodgers to be an outlier. Remove them and the pack tightens up some. To your point. Four keepers. Now we need nine players from that pool. Same pool that 29 other teams are choosing from.C-Unit wrote: ↑16 Dec 2025 09:39 amWell, in the case that we end up with the stripped down roster I laid out I don't think we have 5 keepers, maybe 4. Among the rest, most of those players don't look very covetable by the rest of teams.sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑16 Dec 2025 07:41 amWhen I think about it, with 29 other teams attempting to fill eight spots each from the same 240 pool, is it really a question of getting eight more quality players, or avoiding getting the lower end of the pool.sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑16 Dec 2025 06:58 amRoughly 390 position players on the 26 man rosters. Five per team are keepers. That’s 150 off the 390. Now you are attempting to fill eight spots from a pool of 240. I would think you are soon to hit diminishing returns.C-Unit wrote: ↑14 Dec 2025 13:11 pm Here's my attempt to derive, as it stands, who the 13 position players might be would be slated to be on this club for 2026.
2B Wetherholt
SS Winn
1B Burleson
LF Herrera
DH Gorman
RF Walker
3B Fermin
C Crooks
CF Scott II
IF Saggese
IF Prieto
C Pozo or Pages (one traded?)
OF Church? Koperniak?
My feeling is that it would be interesting to see more of Prieto and Fermin at the big league level than we have so far. Maybe one or both show themselves to be players.
I guess we don't know what kind of factor Nootbaar will be even if not traded because of his health. Hopefully he is gone.
To your point, look where the Dodgers are, they can (bleep) away players other teams would covet. Excess.
We will have to build the depth. It won't happen in one year.
That’s a real reason why finding an international player or a farm player has value. They are new. Break the stagnation of the existing pool.