I just lost a RP to Tommy John surgery. I’m wondering if it makes the most sense to keep him on the 60-day IL instead of simply cutting him outright since he won’t be picked up by anyone. Should I rack up a few long-term IL stints, I could always cut him later down the road.
Is this sound thinking? Or should I cut after the draft so I’m maximizing my remaining budget for Opening Day?
Unless your commissioner has given you penalty-free cuts for some reason (maybe you recently claimed this team?), you won’t be able to cut them until after the auction, regardless. Afterwards, I would make the cut, worst case, by midsummer you have a $1 60-day IL player that you just hang onto as a reminder of the frailty of pitchers.
This is an easy cut. For a player to go on the 60IL and stop taking a roster spot in Ottoneu, they have to go on the 60IL in real life. MLB teams only do this if they need the 40-man roster spot, i.e. if they want to sign someone to the 40-man that wasn’t previously on the 40-man. This means either adding a minor leaguer to the 40-man or signing a FA. This is all to say its hard to know when the team will need the 40-man spot and so it is hard to know when the player in question will go to the 60IL.
No reason to stash a $3 reliever that is taking up both cap space and a roster spot, imo.