Major League Baseball teams spin themselves in circles making transactions at the fringes of their 40-man rosters each and every winter. In a constant quest to make sure they both maximize their depth at the AAA level and still maintain overall roster flexibility, players who have worked their way through the minors and burned through their option years find themselves in the unenviable role of ‘Plan B’ for most every team in the game.
They’re great to have around until a team can find someone just the slightest bit better, in essence.
That’s how Bubba Thompson came to be a part of the Cincinnati Reds organization in the first place, the former 1st round pick of the Texas Rangers having been claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals in October after the Royals themselves had claimed Thompson off waivers from Texas.