Tyler Trumbauer
Earlier this week, the Phillies released Matt Harrison, despite the financial implications that came with the move. Friday afternoon the Phillies finalized the rest of its 40-man roster to protect players from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
The ballclub had 32 players on its 40-man roster following the release of Harrison earlier this week. That meant the team had some moving and shaking to do with prospects. Teams needed to place players that are Rule 5 eligible on their rosters if they did not want to risk losing them in the Rule 5 draft.
General manager Matt Klentak and company decided who was worth a spot on the roster and announced the moves.
#Phillies announce the following 40-man roster moves: pic.twitter.com/LGX6uQsrim
— Phillies (@Phillies) November 18, 2016
Buchanan and Cordero are just two of what is expected to be multiple pieces of the organization that may not be here during the 2017 season. There have already been multiple changes to the roster.
Something that may amaze only me: The Phillies have removed 17 players from their 40-man roster since the 2016 season ended.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) November 18, 2016
Another move today that affected the roster was that Elvis Araujo was claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins. The reliever will stay in the division and face the Phillies often in the regular season.
With the Phillies 40-man roster at capacity, that means that the team cannot make any selections in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft this off-season.