2025 National League 40-Man Roster Crunch Analysis

We’re less than a month from the Winter Meetings and the Rule 5 Draft, which means it’s a good time to evaluate every team’s 40-man roster situation. This is the time of year when teams have one final chance to protect Rule 5 eligible players by placing them on the 40-man. Eligibility is determined by a mix of how long a player has been with their parent organization and how young they were when they signed: Players who signed at 18 or younger must be added to the 40-man within five seasons, while everyone else must be added within four. RosterResource monitors Rule 5 eligibility, if you’re curious to see the lay of the land.

During the season, teams can free up roster space by placing an injured player on the 60-day IL. In the offseason, teams don’t get extra slots for injured players, which tends to put pressure on the back of the roster. The Diamondbacks are a good example of how space can tighten quickly, as they’ve currently got six pitchers battling long-term injuries occupying a spot. You may have noticed a flurry of moves immediately following the World Series, with many teams outrighting players off the 40-man in order to make room for all the guys who were on the IL.

Below, I’ve assessed every National League team’s 40-man roster situation (Eric will sort through the American League tomorrow). Some teams, like the Braves, have plenty of roster space, and thus a lot of flexibility in adding whoever they like. Others, like the Cardinals and Marlins, will face some tough choices as they seek to balance protecting interesting prospects with retaining players already on the roster, as well as finding room for prospective additions via trade or free agency. Some clubs don’t have many impact players to add, while others may need to protect a half-dozen or so guys. I’ve tried to identify which players are most likely to be added, which guys on the 40-man are vulnerable to getting lopped off in a roster crunch, and who could be moved in a deal to free up roster space. Let’s dig in.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Current Count: 38
Must-Add Prospects: Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake
Current 40-man Bubble: Andrew Hoffmann, Taylor Rashi, Christian Montes De Oca
Fringe Prospects: Spencer Giesting, Gavin Conticello, Alfred Morillo, Dylan Ray, Landon Sims, Christian Cerda, Ivan Melendez, Ruben Santana, Jose Fernandez, A.J. Vukovich
Trade Candidates: Drey Jameson

A bright young core, a dearth of guys in their walk year, and a full ward of players recuperating from long-term injuries suggest an offseason of tweaks at the margins in lieu of major moves. Bratt and Drake, acquired last deadline, are obvious adds. Beyond that, you can make a case for any of the fringy position players listed above at the expense of the up-down relievers who found themselves pitching important innings this September out of dire necessity, not their long-term value. Jameson, meanwhile, has external interest from teams that think he still has a shot to start.

All of the bats listed above come with warts. Of that group, Conticello may be the most vulnerable in a Rule 5 context; he projects as a platoon corner bat, and his power and defense foundation could entice teams willing to overlook the holes in his swing. Cerda’s numbers may intrigue teams that haven’t done their homework on his defense. Among the arms, Giesting’s ability to eat innings from the left side seems particularly useful for a team with a paper-thin rotation.

One thing to note here is that even though Arizona will eventually need to roster a number of prospects who aren’t yet Rule 5 eligible, there isn’t any looming pressure to make roster space. The D-backs can free up six 40-man spots via the 60-day IL next spring, so there’ll be plenty of room for Ryan Waldschmidt, Tommy Troy, etc.

Atlanta Braves
Current Count: 35
Must-Add Prospects: Blake Burkhalter
Current 40-man Bubble: Joey Wentz, Rolddy Muñoz, Hunter Stratton, the bench
Fringe Prospects: David McCabe, Kevin Kilpatrick Jr.
Trade Candidates: Bryce Elder

There’s no crunch here, as there’s space on the roster and not many candidates to hop on the 40-man. Led by Elder, there are several contributors here who are out of options; expect a fair amount of turnover around the margins.

Chicago Cubs
Current count: 28
Must-Add Prospects: James Triantos
Current 40-man Bubble: Gavin Hollowell
Fringe Prospects: Connor Noland, Brandon Birdsell, Brody McCullough, Kohl Franklin, Pedro Ramirez, Cristian Hernandez, BJ Murray Jr., JP Wheat, Riley Martin, Zac Leigh
Trade Candidates: One of the outfielders?

That current count isn’t a misprint, as the Cubs just had more than a dozen players come off the books. Roster space is neither at a premium nor unlimited here: Shota Imanaga and Kyle Tucker may or may not be back, but there will be plenty of big league free agent signings this winter. And even without Tucker, the outfield is crowded; we can only speculate whether or not a hypothetical trade would impact the size of the 40.

The big question here is how the Cubs plan to handle all of the injured guys. Birdsell, McCullough, and Franklin are in varying stages of recovery from arm surgery, and Birdsell at least will miss the upcoming season. You could lump Wheat into the group if you’re inclined, a raw but hard-throwing lefty who is pitching in the Arizona Fall League after a long layoff. All are intriguing possibilities for clubs seeking upside in the Rule 5 draft.

Cincinnati Reds
Current Count: 38
Must-Add Prospects: Edwin Arroyo, Héctor Rodríguez, Carlos Jorge
Current 40-man Bubble: Tyler Callihan, Will Banfield, Blake Dunn, Rece Hinds, Will Benson, Sam Moll, Yosver Zulueta, Lyon Richardson, Keegan Thompson, Julian Aguiar
Fringe Prospects: Anyer Laureano, Leo Balcazar, Jay Allen II, Kevin Abel, Jose Acuna
Trade Candidates: Anyone arb eligible?

Cincinnati will very likely protect Arroyo, Rodríguez, and Jorge, as they have two spots available and plenty of options to cull guys at the bottom of the 40-man beyond that. That gives them the luxury of protecting a lot of the players on the fringy prospect line above.

Balcazar and Allen have shaky hit tools but both could be impact defenders, and Allen has enough raw power to justify an Akil Baddoo-like Rule 5 selection. Laureano is a wild card, a young reliever who flashed late-inning stuff in 2024 before missing all of 2025 after undergoing elbow surgery. A-ball relievers coming off major injuries generally aren’t protection candidates, but the stuff is loud enough that an enterprising team could conceivably gin up a way to use his rehab and recovery as a tryout of sorts while they evaluate him internally.

Does the Reds’ competitive window make them more likely to hang on to their arb guys than they might otherwise be inclined to be in a vacuum? Especially given their contention timeline, you’d think Graham Ashcraft does enough to warrant the small raise coming his way; Benson, and particularly Moll, may not. Brady Singer is the fascinating name here. He was a load-bearing part of the roster and rotation last year, and while I don’t expect him to get traded, he’s just a year from free agency and in line for a healthy pay bump in arbitration. You never know.

Colorado Rockies
Current Count: 38
Must-Add Prospects: Sterlin Thompson, Andy Perez
Current 40-man Bubble: Michael Toglia, Antonio Senzatela, Bradley Blalock, Anthony Molina, Carson Palmquist, Tanner Gordon
Fringe Prospects: Jordy Vargas, Gabriel Hughes, Yujanyer Herrera, Mason Albright, Carson Skipper, Welinton Herrera, Brayan Castillo
Trade Candidates: Jimmy Herget, Mickey Moniak, Kyle Freeland

It’s long been difficult to guess how the Rockies will manage their roster, and the surprising decision to hire Paul DePodesta as their POBO doesn’t clarify anything. It’s ancient history, but his volume of activity as the head honcho in Los Angeles 20 years ago at least suggests an end to Colorado’s listless approach to the trade market. Herget presents a test case, as all parties stand to benefit from moving him along.

Thompson’s feel to spray the ball around should play nicely in Coors, though his lack of position gives him a short runway if he doesn’t produce. Perez is a toolsy shortstop, a good defender and the kind of athlete a team in Colorado’s position needs to keep just in case. Hughes and Vargas both returned from Tommy John with noticeably diminished stuff, but each had mid-rotation upside not so long ago, and both are worthy of protection just to see if the new front office can unlock something the old one couldn’t.

The pitching staff could use a line change. Molina, Blalock, Gordon, and Palmquist were cannon fodder last year, and the Rockies can safely move on from several other hurlers as well. It’s important that they do. Their mid and upper levels are stocked with intriguing but underdeveloped arms out of 40-man runway. Savvy teams might see upside in any number of the guys listed above: Yujanyer Herrera flashes a plus slider. Castillo has a good arm. Skipper is deceptive. The others are lefties with at least one solid-average secondary. It might be worth protecting a bunch of these guys, even in cases where the numbers and peripherals weren’t great, just to see if a (presumably) new development staff can coax something out of them.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Current Count: 39
Must-Add Prospects: None
Current 40-man Bubble: Paul Gervase, Brusdar Graterol, Robinson Ortiz, Brock Stewart, Esteury Ruiz, Ryan Ward
Fringe Prospects: Noah Miller, José Rodríguez, Reynaldo Yean, Peter Heubeck, Jared Karros
Trade Candidates: Alex Freeland, Dalton Rushing, the depth starters in Los Angeles who have mid-rotation upside elsewhere

The Dodgers are reportedly done adding to the 40-man from their internal depth. There wasn’t much upward pressure left, as most of the system’s best players still have runway. Miller could be plucked to be some club’s utility infielder. Rodriguez and Yean are perhaps the most vulnerable relievers in an Rule 5 context; the former’s slider and the latter’s arm strength put them atop a long list of bullpen guys who throw hard with little feel for the zone.

Potential trades abound here. How the Dodgers plan to deploy Betts in future seasons could influence whether Freeland stays or goes in a Miguel Vargas-like deal. We can only speculate about the intangible benefits Rushing derived from caddying for Will Smith, but his lack of production at the plate could motivate the team to cash in on their former blue chipper and roll with a more traditional backup next season. Or not! The Dodgers are spoiled for choice.

The list of starters with legitimate back-end rotation potential or better is absurdly long. The Dodgers have reaped the benefits of that depth, but with this many guys around, surely it makes sense to explore swapping one of Emmet Sheehan, Bobby Miller, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski, or Ben Casparius for outfield or relief help. All of them have options left (sometimes multiple), which affords the Dodgers plenty of flexibility as they explore potential moves.

Miami Marlins
Current Count: 38
Must-Add Prospects: Joe Mack
Current 40-man Bubble: Joey Wiemer, Deyvison De Los Santos, Victor Mesa Jr., Josh Simpson, Michael Petersen
Fringe Prospects: Josh White, William Kempner, Dale Stanavich, Nathan Martorella, Andrew Pintar, Yiddi Cappe
Trade Candidates: Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers, Braxton Garrett, Anthony Bender, Andrew Nardi

This should be a busy space. Mack is a top 50 overall prospect who could be starting in Miami next summer; he’s a lock to be added. Despite varying levels of helium entering the year, Martorella and Pintar had rough seasons at the plate and likely don’t require protection. There’s room for at least one of the Jacksonville relievers, though this roster will get crowded quickly if Miami makes any moves, as appears likely.

The big trade chip is, of course, Alcantara. Returning from Tommy John, his stuff looked mostly fine even when he got rocked early on, and then his performance caught up down the stretch. Whether the Fish swap him now or later depends on several factors beyond the scope of this piece, but the talent infusion from any such deal would likely push some of the bubble guys off the roster.

Anyone in arbitration will be available, and that includes three more members of the rotation. Peter Bendix’s proclivity for getting multiple interesting players back in his trades suggests that the club could cycle through quite a few names on the back of the 40-man this winter.

Milwaukee Brewers
Current Count: 38
Must-Add Prospects: None
Current 40-man Bubble: Anthony Seigler, Brandon Lockridge, Steward Berroa, Easton McGee, Sammy Peralta
Fringe Prospects: Blake Holub, Eric Brown Jr., Eduardo Garcia, Matthew Wood, Freddy Zamora
Trade Candidates: Nick Mears, Trevor Megill, Logan Henderson, Tobias Myers, Robert Gasser, Carlos Rodriguez, Coleman Crow, Garrett Mitchell

Milwaukee’s rotation depth and ability to pluck viable starters out of thin air gives the club a couple of good problems to have. Should they bring back Brandon Woodruff or Jose Quintana, or lean on their internal depth? Can they bring one back and still trade from strength? It’s always nice to have options, particularly with a young and mostly inexpensive offensive core. The sheer number of guys here makes arb relievers like Mears and Megill expendable to free up either a bit of money or a roster spot if those become scarce.

New York Mets
Current Count: 40
Must-Add Prospects: None
Current 40-man Bubble: Ji Hwan Bae, Brandon Waddell, Austin Warren, Joey Gerber, Alex Carrillo, the injured relievers
Fringe Prospects: Nick Morabito, Felipe De La Cruz, Douglas Orellana, Joshua Cornielly
Trade Candidates: Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio

Six injured pitchers and a couple waiver claims have filled the roster to capacity. Some of the new additions could go right back off when the Mets either re-sign or find replacements for Edwin Díaz, Pete Alonso, Cedric Mullins, etc. Regardless, there’s not much upward pressure from the guys out of runway. There are future role players and live arms lurking, but nobody who’ll change the trajectory of the franchise. A couple post-hype bats could also be on the move to free up space.

Philadelphia Phillies
Current Count: 30
Must-Add Prospects: Andrew Painter, Gabriel Rincones Jr.
Current 40-man Bubble: Nolan Hoffman, Alan Rangel, Daniel Robert, Max Lazar, Garrett Stubbs
Fringe Prospects: Griff McGarry, Alex McFarlane, Robert Moore, Erick Brito
Trade Candidates: Nick Castellanos

Painter is a no-brainer. Rincones was a hot name at the deadline and is reportedly a lock as well. Philly can add liberally from there — McGarry and McFarlane seem most likely — although that current roster count is misleading, as they’ll either be re-signing or replacing several key free agents.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Count: 39
Must-Add Prospects: Antwone Kelly, Esmerlyn Valdez, Wilber Dotel
Current 40-man Bubble: Half the roster
Fringe Prospects: Brandan Bidois, Keiner Delgado, Jack Brannigan, Anthony Solometo, Tony Blanco Jr., Justin Meis, Tyler Samaniego
Trade Candidates: Mitch Keller, Bryan Reynolds, Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones, Thomas Harrington, Hunter Barco

Pittsburgh has a few guys to roster. Kelly is the slam dunk after a breakout 2025 campaign, and Valdez’s scorching Fall League cemented his spot; Dotel and Bidois are likely adds as well. There’s plenty of room, as even after last week’s 40-man house cleaning, low-hanging fruit like Tsung-Che Cheng and Alexander Canario are still loitering about. Fittingly for an org loaded with arms, even if they add half a dozen names, they may still lose a reliever or two in the Rule 5.

It was tempting to write “half the roster” for the bubble section and “the other half of it” for trade candidates. Really, who isn’t available for the right price here? The obvious move is converting some of the glut of young starters or hybrid arms into bats, and there are opportunities to both take big swings (Chandler) and go bargain hunting (Barco/Harrington tier) without decimating the staff. Ben Cherington needs to win now, but even with that mission, trades involving established players Keller and Reynolds could allow him to re-shape the roster while freeing up cash for the free agent market. Spare your sarcasm here, please.

San Diego Padres
Current Count: 33
Must-Add Prospects: Miguel Mendez
Current 40-man Bubble: Sean Reynolds, Bryce Johnson, Mason McCoy, Omar Cruz, Alek Jacob
Fringe Prospects: Francis Pena, Garrett Hawkins, Braedon Karpathios, Andrew Moore, Jagger Haynes
Trade Candidates: Everybody not tied down — it’s the Padres

There’s no crunch here, as a thin system and seven open spots gives San Diego the luxury of protecting anyone with internal helium. Mendez is the only truly mandatory add, as the rest of the eligible players project as bench bats or depth pieces. Pena and Hawkins seem like the most likely adds of that group.

San Francisco Giants
Current Count: 40
Must-Add Prospects: Spencer Miles (maybe)
Current 40-man Bubble: JT Brubaker, Kai-Wei Teng, Blade Tidwell, Keaton Winn, Jerar Encarnacion, Tyler Fitzgerald, Justin Dean, Wade Meckler, Grant McCray
Fringe Prospects: Jack Choate, Diego Velasquez, Nate Furman
Trade Candidates: Luis Matos, Marco Luciano

This is a relatively straightforward situation. Miles has barely pitched in recent years, but a blistering Fall League makes him an appealing Rule 5 target for teams in need of relief help. External additions to the rotation and bench this winter will push a few bubble guys off the roster. Post-hype bats Luciano and Matos seem like the obvious trade candidates for an org trying to win right now. Carson Whisenhunt and Hayden Birdsong could feasibly move in a similar context, though their upside and proximity seem like a good fit right where they are.

St. Louis Cardinals
Current Count: 37
Must-Add Prospects: Leonardo Bernal, Joshua Baez
Current 40-man Bubble: Jorge Alcala, César Prieto, Matt Koperniak, Andre Granillo, Nick Raquet, Sem Robberse
Fringe Prospects: Pete Hansen, Hancel Rincon, Cooper Hjerpe, Brycen Mautz, Blaze Jordan, Ramon Mendoza
Trade Candidates: Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar

Chaim Bloom is fully in charge now, and it’ll be fascinating to see how he remakes a roster that has gone stale. You can make a pretty good case for adding seven or eight guys to the 40, although the roster is fairly full already. To accommodate more than a few, they’ll have to move on from players who they either added recently (Alcala, Raquet), or who still haven’t cracked the majors (Robberse, Koperniak).

It’s hard to imagine the Cardinals bottoming out, and if they aren’t planning on doing so now, free agents will crowd the picture further. One tricky problem here: The lineup is bizarrely deep in 50- and 55-types. Seven position players produced between 1.5 and 3.5 WAR last year, mostly at the lower end of that range. That doesn’t include Nootbaar, who fits into that tier on talent. Everyday regulars are great, but you need aircraft carriers too, and St. Louis doesn’t have them.

All of this makes trades a headache. The obvious candidates to deal are either sell-low guys like Walker and Gorman, or controllable bats who can keep the ship afloat but probably won’t net returns with high-impact upside. This is a tough spot for Bloom to inherit: The big-league roster isn’t good and the Rule 5 vultures are circling the upper levels.

Washington Nationals
Current Count: 34
Must-Add Prospects: Christian Franklin, Jake Bennett
Current 40-man Bubble: Riley Adams, Jake Eder, Sauryn Lao, Andry Lara
Fringe Prospects: Riley Cornelio, Marquis Grissom Jr., Cayden Wallace
Trade Candidates: MacKenzie Gore?

Gore’s clock ticks louder by the day, but even if he’s dealt, there won’t be any 40-man repercussions. Paul Toboni has already cleared space on the back end of the roster; we’re still learning how he’ll manage this kind of situation.