Wild Card rosters could get very wild
Yankees manager Joe Girardi signals for a pitching change in the ninth inning of ALCS Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. (Oct. 18, 2010) Credit: John Dunn
Get used to pitching changes. Lots of them.
ESPN's Buster Olney reported that the one-game winner-take-all Wild Card playoff will have its own roster, separate from the regular season and separate from the League Division Series. This means that a team can jettison excess starting pitchers or unneeded position players after the regular season, add specialists for the Wild Card game, and then reset its roster for the LDS.
The 25-man Wild Card roster could now consist of just one starting pitcher and 11 relievers. Teams could add multiple pinch-runners or pinch-hitters. They can mix-and-match to their hearts delight.
Thank goodness Tony LaRussa is no longer managing.
If the Yankees are forced into a one-game playoff, here's what a potential roster could look like:
STARTING PITCHER (1): CC Sabathia
BULLPEN (7): Joba Chamberlain, Cody Eppley, Boone Logan, David Phelps, Clay Rapada, David Robertson, Rafael Soriano.
INFIELD (9): Robinson Cano, Eric Chavez, Derek Jeter, Casey McGehee, Jayson Nix, Eduardo Nunez, Steve Pearce, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira
OUTFIELD (6): Curtis Granderson, Ichiro Suzuki, Raul Ibanez, Nick Swisher, Andruw Jones, Brett Gardner
CATCHER (2): Russell Martin, Chris Stewart
