Spring training is relaxing or stressful for players depending upon their contractual situation. Veterans are often in the enviable situation of long-term contracts offering a generational form of security. Others may be wistfully contemplating statistical improvement as they wander into the depths of arbitration. Then there are those on the cusp of employment on the now 26-man roster. The designation “invitee” or “minor league contract” as a player attempts to resuscitate a career and actually start one at the highest level.
As just mentioned, a new card is in play and that is the 26-man roster replacing the decades-old 25-man configuration.