Cheaper by the Two Dozen in Majors : Every Team Opens Up With the Cut-Rate 24-Man Roster

Every team’s magic number this spring is 24.

All the major league clubs have endorsed the new, money saving 24-man roster the players accepted in the last owner-player bargaining agreement. Every team adopted the concept, according to a check of opening day rosters.

Several teams--there are always some who have trouble making up their minds--dodged the bullet by putting players on the disabled list to start the season.

Only four National League teams and two in the American League opened with nobody on the disabled list, with the New York Yankees’ only disabled player being Britt Burns, who will miss the season.

The bullet will be back around for another try at the rest, though, in 2-3 weeks.

It was moderately surprising at the ease with which the move to 24 players won acceptance. What was not surprising is the player’s reaction to it.

It is not lost upon the cynical that having agreed to slice one of their brethren from the land of plenty that the players should now be getting skittish.

Their talk of filing a grievance over the 4% work force reduction (in the auto industry the companies call this “employee adjustment”) is just so much huff. What we ought to do is take a look down the road. To about August 31.

That’s the day before rosters can be expanded back to 40 players. And the day rosters are frozen for playoff purposes.

After Sept. 1 the only way you can get Pinch-hitter X, Pinch-runner Y or Reliever Z onto your playoff roster is through injury to a similar position player.

So it’s a safe bet any club believing it has a chance to make the World Series will take out an insurance policy of sorts by adding that 25th player to its roster.

Safe bet? Count on it. It won’t cost the clubs a cent and they leave the player home if they want to save travel expense. (Which nobody would have the brass to do).

Lopping the 25th man from the roster from April through late August doesn’t save clubs a fortune ($100,000 to $250,000 would be decent guesses depending on several factors).

Teams, even ones counting the days to the end of the season as well as the number of paychecks they have left, typically call up a handful of prospects they want to take a look at for next season.

So adding one of them to the major league roster for an extra day or two won’t be cost ineffective.

The fluidity of having that vacant 25th space available will help some teams in July and August, if double headers pile up.

They can call up an extra pitcher for a week or two and then send him back to the minors--without the distressing chore of having to tell someone on the bench he has to go back to the minors. Most managers find that the second most distasteful part of their job (next to finding out they’re unemployed).

Teams also do not have to search for somebody to put on the disabled list to create a vacancy, which at times is a pretty creative maneuver.

Detroit was disappointed Houston did not keep Aurelio Lopez. The Tigers stood to gain an extra first-round draft choice plus a supplemental if Lopez opened the season with the Astros . . . Good move by the Pittsburgh Pirates in moving Jason Thompson, and good move by Montreal picking him up. The Expos must be wondering if they blundered with Andres Galarraga, who obviously is going to have to be treated like a new pair of shoes if he’s ever to produce . . . Don’t feel too much pity for the Dodgers over the loss of Pedro Guerrero. It’s not that they won’t miss him, it’s just that they’re so much further ahead of where they were a year ago when they didn’t make their move until midway through the season when they shifted him back to left field . . . After only two games it appears Boston’s bullpen problem is as big as ever. Look for Manager John McNamara to put Wes Gardner into a situation he’d rather have waited until July for--ace reliever. Funny thing, though, how ace relievers have a way of popping out instantly . . . Remember that second base problem Baltimore thought it solved with Alan Wiggins? Looks like second base is still a problem with the Orioles . . . Wiggins’ defense leaves a lot to be desired, among other things . . . Let me get this straight. Rudy Law wanted to play every day, so after the Chicago White Sox cut him he signed with Kansas City where he’s going to be a platoon player at best. Funny how attitudes change after a trip to never-never land.