Cincinnati Reds' Non-Roster Invitees Will Have Rough Year In 2016

Usually the worse a team the better the chances that a non-roster invitee has of making the big league club out of spring training. The Cincinnati Reds just signed Ryan Mattheus and Pedro Villareal to minor league contracts with invites to spring training. Neither of them has much of a chance to make it to the Reds’ roster for opening day.

The Reds have an unusually high number of players who will automatically be on the big league pitching roster, whether as a starter or a reliever. Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen, John Lamb, Jon Moscot and Raisel Iglesias will be in the starting rotation unless something drastic changes. Brandon Finnegan, Caleb Cotham, Jumbo Diaz, Tony Cingrani, J.J. Hoover and Blake Wood are all shoo-ins in the bullpen, unless Finnegan beats out Moscot to be a starter. That leaves one roster spot for Rule 5 draftee Chris O’Grady and Carlos Contreras to battle over. That leaves no roster spot for any non-roster pitching invitee.

The odds are only slightly better for a position player. The Reds are expecting catcher Devin Mesoraco and shortstop Zack Cozart back in the mix. If they are both healthy for opening day, there is no roster spot open for position players. Tucker Barnhart is the backup catcher, and Ivan De Jesus and Jose Peraza are the backup infielders. Yorman Rodriguez and Rule 5 draftee Jake Cave are the backup outfielders. If everyone is healthy, there are no openings. But if anyone is injured, this will completely change. Unless it’s a catcher, the opening can be filled with the best pinch hitter left. Right now Eric Jagielo, who came over in the Aroldis Chapman deal, would be the most likely non-roster invitee to make the team.

Mattheus and Villareal are battling J.C. Ramirez as the most likely pitchers to make the team as non-roster invitees. Any of the three would be added to be middle men or setup relievers in the Reds’ new bullpen, but none of them should expect to start the season with the Reds. And that’s a good thing for the Reds. The more talent they can muster the quicker things will turn around.