Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell made waves throughout the baseball world with his comments regarding MLB’s roster rules and two-way player exception, and how it applies to Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In short, Counsell implied the Dodgers unfairly benefit from Ohtani counting as one player on the active roster despite his two roles.
Counsell maintained his stance ahead of the Friday’s game at Dodger Stadium, but clarified that his issue is with the rule, and not the Dodgers or Ohtani specifically.
“Look, this is not a Dodger thing. It’s not an Ohtani thing. It is a bad rule,” Counsell said.
The Cubs skipper largely did not want did not want to discuss his previous comments in depth and refused to elaborate on which part of the rule he believes provides an unfair advantage.
“I’m done. That’s it. I mean, you guys figure it out. It’s a good discussion. It’s an interesting discussion. It’s worth discussing, too,” he said.
Manager Dave Roberts said neither he, Ohtani nor the Dodgers is taking the comments personally.
“Not surprised,” Roberts said when asked about how much traction Counsell’s comments have received. “That’s kind of what happens these days when you say certain things. And I don’t think he meant it really maliciously. I mean, they’re going through it on the pitching side.
“But again, this is a rule that’s applicable to Shohei. It’s not a Dodger rule, right? I mean, this was implemented when he was with the Angels. But not surprising, because he’s a very important player, so gets a lot of attention.”
Current MLB roster rules limit teams to carrying a maximum of 13 active pitchers. It’s a policy that was formally implemented in June of the 2021 season. The league initially planned to impose a 13-pitcher limit for rosters during the 2020 season, but that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All teams are permitted to carry a 14th pitcher on their active roster from Sept. 1 through the end of the regular season.
Dave Roberts defends MLB’s Shohei Ohtani rule
Roberts had previously defended the merits of the rule when Counsell made his initial comments.
“The thing is it certainly benefits us because we have the player. But that’s something that regardless of any team that would have Ohtani, would have that. We’re more than willing to have other teams to go out and find a player that can do both. He’s an exception because he’s an exceptional player. So it is what it is,” Roberts said.
In 2022, Roberts lauded the rule change, when Ohtani was still a member of the Los Angeles Angels and one year away from becoming a free agent.
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