Baseball analysts and team managers alike love to remind players and fans that Opening Day rosters are just one of many that each team will feature over the course of the season. And while that’s certainly true, the fanfare of making an Opening Day roster is an accomplishment that doesn’t get topped until players are lucky enough to find themselves as one of the 26 names on a postseason ballclub.
While Thursday’s rosters have already proven themselves to be ephemeral (RIP to Nick Gonzales’ ankle), it’s still a good opportunity to take a look back at how the rosters were constructed. Our Active Roster Breakdown will always be up-to-the-minute with the latest moves, if you’d like to peruse that at any point as rosters evolve throughout the season.
How the Players Were Acquired
| Team | Homegrown | Free Agent | Trade | Waivers | Rule 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | 10 | 9 | 7 | – | – |
| ATH | 8 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| ATL | 7 | 8 | 10 | 1 | – |
| BAL | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | – |
| BOS | 6 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| CHC | 6 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| CHW | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| CIN | 10 | 6 | 9 | 1 | – |
| CLE | 14 | 5 | 7 | – | – |
| COL | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | – |
| DET | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2 | – |
| HOU | 11 | 7 | 7 | – | 1 |
| KCR | 11 | 7 | 8 | – | – |
| LAA | 10 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| LAD | 6 | 11 | 9 | – | – |
| MIA | 4 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 2 |
| MIL | 5 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 2 |
| MIN | 12 | 6 | 8 | – | – |
| NYM | 8 | 7 | 9 | 2 | – |
| NYY | 9 | 9 | 6 | 2 | – |
| PHI | 6 | 11 | 8 | 1 | – |
| PIT | 7 | 7 | 9 | 3 | – |
| SDP | 3 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| SEA | 6 | 5 | 12 | 3 | – |
| SFG | 12 | 8 | 5 | 1 | – |
| STL | 14 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| TBR | 6 | 2 | 17 | 1 | – |
| TEX | 6 | 14 | 6 | – | – |
| TOR | 5 | 13 | 7 | 1 | – |
| WSN | 8 | 9 | 7 | 2 | – |
| TOTAL | 251 | 234 | 235 | 47 | 13 |
“Homegrown” includes draftees, undrafted free agents, and international free agents subject to IFA bonus pools. Homegrown players who re-sign in free agency without joining another team in the interim are still counted as homegrown.
The Guardians’ modus operandi for years has been to build homegrown winners, and it’s unsurprising to see the Cardinals right there with Cleveland in that category considering how little St. Louis did this offseason. Conversely, because Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller keeps trading away their homegrown players, there are only three of them on San Diego’s Opening Day roster.
The teams that turn to free agency most are the ones that either have struggled to produce homegrown talent in recent years or, like the Padres, have traded away the top players in their system. Either way, because they lack capable internal options, they rely on the open market to fill out their rosters.
On the flip side, both Florida teams stayed out of the free agent market almost entirely. Nearly two-thirds of the Rays’ Opening Day roster (17 of 26) were acquired via trade. Meanwhile, the Marlins have been aggressive on the waiver wire since Peter Bendix was hired as president of baseball operations after the 2023 season, and the players they’ve claimed are not just non-roster flotsam; Derek Hill and Otto Lopez are in their starting lineup, Connor Gillispie is their no. 2 starter, and Jesus Tinoco is a key setup man.
Age Breakdown
| Team | <25 | <30 | 30+ | 35+ | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | 3 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 29.6 |
| ATH | 5 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 28.5 |
| ATL | 4 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 29.6 |
| BAL | 1 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 29.9 |
| BOS | 2 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 29.2 |
| CHC | 3 | 13 | 13 | 4 | 30.3 |
| CHW | 2 | 18 | 8 | – | 28.5 |
| CIN | 1 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 29.6 |
| CLE | 3 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 28.1 |
| COL | 5 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 28.8 |
| DET | 4 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 28.6 |
| HOU | 2 | 16 | 10 | – | 29.2 |
| KCR | 1 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 30.1 |
| LAA | 5 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 29.1 |
| LAD | 2 | 8 | 18 | 6 | 31.5 |
| MIA | 3 | 24 | 2 | – | 27.5 |
| MIL | 3 | 18 | 8 | – | 28.4 |
| MIN | 1 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 29.3 |
| NYM | 1 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 30.1 |
| NYY | 3 | 13 | 13 | 4 | 30.0 |
| PHI | 2 | 12 | 14 | – | 30.2 |
| PIT | 2 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 29.3 |
| SDP | 1 | 13 | 13 | 4 | 30.8 |
| SEA | 1 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 29.2 |
| SFG | 2 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 29.3 |
| STL | 5 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 28.6 |
| TBR | 4 | 22 | 4 | – | 27.6 |
| TEX | 3 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 30.7 |
| TOR | – | 13 | 13 | 4 | 30.6 |
| WSN | 5 | 18 | 8 | – | 27.9 |
| TOTAL | 79 | 464 | 316 | 57 | 29.3 |
Does it portend badly for the Dodgers that they’re the oldest team in baseball by over nine months? Well, no, they’re the Dodgers. But this list does reflect where a lot of teams are in their contention cycles. The Dodgers are in win-now mode, and while they’ll seemingly be in win-now mode in perpetuity, they’ll be doing that with older players. Even so, an aging roster doesn’t necessarily guarantee a winning one. As things stand, the Blue Jays, who have the fourth-oldest roster in the majors, appear to be nearing the end of their contention window. And that window could slam shut entirely if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — who, at 26, actually brings their average age down — departs in free agency after the season.
Most of the teams on the other end of the age spectrum are either at the start of rebuilds (Marlins, White Sox) or are making progress but aren’t quite ready to contend yet (Nationals, A’s). Their average ages will get older as their roster gains experience and their window of contention opens. The Rays are always going to be young because they typically trade their homegrown players when they get older and more expensive.
Years of MLB Service
| Team | <3 | >=3, <6 | 6+ | 10+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | 9 | 7 | 10 | 2 |
| ATH | 17 | 4 | 5 | – |
| ATL | 10 | 6 | 10 | 3 |
| BAL | 9 | 11 | 6 | 1 |
| BOS | 15 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| CHC | 8 | 9 | 9 | 2 |
| CHW | 16 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| CIN | 10 | 10 | 6 | – |
| CLE | 17 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| COL | 15 | 2 | 9 | – |
| DET | 14 | 5 | 7 | – |
| HOU | 11 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| KCR | 11 | 7 | 8 | 2 |
| LAA | 11 | 5 | 10 | 4 |
| LAD | 5 | 5 | 16 | 6 |
| MIA | 23 | 2 | 1 | – |
| MIL | 15 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| MIN | 8 | 11 | 7 | 1 |
| NYM | 10 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| NYY | 12 | 4 | 10 | 3 |
| PHI | 6 | 8 | 12 | 5 |
| PIT | 12 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| SDP | 8 | 9 | 9 | 5 |
| SEA | 10 | 8 | 8 | – |
| SFG | 14 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
| STL | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| TBR | 17 | 6 | 3 | – |
| TEX | 10 | 5 | 11 | 5 |
| TOR | 9 | 7 | 10 | 3 |
| WSN | 13 | 6 | 7 | – |
| TOTAL | 359 | 191 | 230 | 56 |
A slightly different way to look at this is by years of MLB service, which generally correlates with age but not always. For example, the Reds are a little bit older than the league-average team, but they opened the season with 20 players who have fewer than six years of service time. That’s because Cincinnati’s roster includes late bloomers Jose Trevino, Sam Moll, and Ian Gibaut.
Sticking with their youth movement, the Marlins’ most experienced players are Sandy Alcantara and Cal Quantrill, who have a combined 12 years and 60 days of MLB service entering the year. That’s a figure topped by 19 individual players on Opening Day rosters.
Lastly, let’s look at the countries where each team’s players were born.
Birth Country
| Team | USA | DR | Venezuela | Canada | Cuba | Colombia | Mexico | Curaçao | Aruba |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | 17 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| ATH | 19 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| ATL | 14 | 5 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | 2 | 1 |
| BAL | 15 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | – | – |
| BOS | 20 | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | – |
| CHC | 23 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CHW | 22 | – | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| CIN | 24 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CLE | 17 | 5 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| COL | 21 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| DET | 22 | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 15 | 5 | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – |
| KCR | 20 | 1 | 4 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| LAA | 20 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | – | – | 1 | – |
| LAD | 19 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| MIA | 17 | 4 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 1 | – | – |
| MIL | 19 | 5 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| MIN | 22 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| NYM | 18 | 4 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| NYY | 19 | 2 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| PHI | 16 | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| PIT | 22 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SDP | 13 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| SEA | 16 | 6 | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| SFG | 20 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| STL | 24 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TBR | 18 | 3 | – | – | 1 | – | 2 | – | – |
| TEX | 22 | 3 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | 20 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | – | – |
| WSN | 19 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| TOTAL | 573 | 82 | 53 | 11 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
Birth Country
| Team | Japan | South Korea | Panama | Honduras | South Africa | Bahamas | Germany | Peru | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ATH | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ATL | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| BOS | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CHC | 2 | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CHW | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CIN | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CLE | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| COL | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| DET | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| KCR | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| LAA | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| LAD | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| MIA | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| MIL | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| MIN | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| NYM | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| NYY | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – |
| PHI | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – |
| PIT | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SDP | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SEA | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| SFG | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| STL | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TBR | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| TEX | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TOR | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| WSN | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TOTAL | 11 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Specifically, I’d like to highlight the players from the least-represented countries in the majors.
Aruba: Xander Bogaerts (Padres), Chadwick Tromp (Braves)
Australia: Curtis Mead (Rays)
Bahamas: Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Yankees)
Germany: Max Kepler (Phillies)
Honduras: Mauricio Dubón (Astros)
Peru: Jesús Luzardo (Phillies)
South Africa: Rob Refsnyder (Red Sox)
Baseball truly is a global game, and I hope the game continues to grow internationally so that we can have players from more countries in the years to come.
Content Source: blogs.fangraphs.com