Tomorrow, Saturday, September 1, major-league teams can expand their active rosters to as many as the full 40-man contingent. In reality, most teams add from seven to 10 players, because there simply isn’t enough playing time for 15 additional players.
The Cubs have another thing holding them back from a huge roster expansion — the luxury tax limit. Every player added means another major-league salary for a month, in this case approximately $90,000 per player added (one-sixth of the minimum of $545,000). That might not sound like much in today’s market, but the Cubs are very, very close to the limit after adding Daniel Murphy.