Obsessing about the opening day roster

I was listening to my favorite Cubs podcast – North Side Territory – the other day, and Sahadev Sharma was discussing the obsession fans have with the opening day roster. His point was that the roster a few months from now will most likely be very different than what we are seeing now, so some of these imminent decisions are probably not as critical as we make them seem.

WHile I agree with him, I think the major issue is that there isn’t much else to talk about. We don’t really care about the outcomes of the games, or the performance of the players whose roster spots are already set. That leaves us way to much time to scrutinize the performance of fringe players and speculate who will make the roster and who will not.

I suppose the other reason we care so much is that it is this will be the reckoning of some Cubs player as far as their future with the club. Players with no minor league options or on minor league deals with opt-outs may not be Cubs for much longer. Sure, some similar decisions will be made during the season, but except for the trade deadline, the volume will be much lower.

What will be the fate of Vidal Brujan? Or Gage Workman? Can Nicky Lopez fight his way into a spot? Depending on when Nico Hoerner is healthy and whether Matt Shaw goes to Japan, there is probably only room for two of them on the roster for now, and only one long-term.

And for the bullpen, there was an early assumption that Tyson Miller, Keegan Thompson and Julian Merryweather would all be on the opening roster. But Brad Keller has looked pretty good this Spring, and will probably walk if he is not selected.

Lots of players who will not be on the opening day roster will be playing for the Cubs this season, but at this particular moment, we really care about those who will make the initial cut. What else are we going to do?