The following report is from Will Bigby, lead baseball correspondent for Treasure Valley Sports.
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With the expansion draft for the 2040 season just days away, the Spuds submitted their protection list on the eve of the deadline. Per the League's constitution, each Brewster team is required to protect up to 19 players, with any player with three years or less professional experience exempt from being drafting.
The following is a list of the top five Boise players left exposed to the draft, according to Treasure Valley Sports. Any one of these could be drafted be the expansion Charlotte Cougars and Portland Lumberjacks:
At a hefty $23M price tag,
Behner was likely left exposed by Boise to ease their salary commitments. That said, it is the last year of Behner's contract and the former Nebraska Award winner could bring a franchise club both a valuable veteran presence, along with a ticket office draw with his popularity. Behner will be an above-average provider of innings next year, whether on Boise or one of the expansion teams. While Behner will unlikely receive Nebraska votes in 2040, he could put up enough WAR to net a 2041 free agent compensation pick or a saavy general manager could eat the rest of his expiring contract at the deadline and move him to a contender for minor league building blocks. Similarly,
Mace is another veteran pitcher in the last year of his contract. Mace has one of the most reliable arms in the Brewster, making at least 32 starts per season for the last five years. Mace was an expansion pick for Boise and could again be on the move for a young club in need of a set-it-and-forget-it innings eater, allowing an expansion general manager to shift their focus on establishing a strong farm system, rather than make a run at the playoffs in Year One. Like Mace,
Díaz is a former expansion pick and has spent his career in Boise as a fourth outfielder. Making under $1M, he could fill a similar role with an expansion team, especially one that wisely uses him in a platoon role, where he's put up an OPS of .782 versus lefties. As a cheap source of home run power (scouting grade of 8/8) and just 24 years old, Charlotte or Portland could take a flyer on the free swinger.
Rivera was the starting catcher for Boise for most of the season and will likely enter the 2040 season as the Spuds back-up unless claimed in the expansion draft. Yet another expansion pick by Boise, Rivera had a big spring training in 2039 (1.381 OPS) and started off the season hot, slashing .421/.476/.632 in April. Rivera crashed back down to earth in May and eventually lost his starting job by July, but with catching at a premium and making just $750,000 next year, Rivera could at the very least start in AAA and serve as an emergency option should injuries strike in the majors.
Reyes was claimed off waivers in September from Omaha, his third franchise in less than a year. The Spuds hoped to catch lightning in a bottle, but Reyes struggled in just 19 at-bats. Ever since being named a minor league All-Star in 2036, scouts have liked his potential as a contact hitter with outstanding speed and excellent multi-positional defense. Still only 22 years old, Reyes has yet to reach his potential and could prove to be a valuable short-term solution as a starter or utility player off the bench for an expansion team. Or could very well be a career AAAA-type slap hitter/pinch-runner/defensive specialist. Either way the scale tips, a player with near maxed-out scouting grades in several categories making the league minimum could be of value for the Cougars or Lumberjacks.
