True. The cots numbers include no arb costs, but it does include the $17M for player benefits and the estimate for rounding out the 40 man roster with minor leaguers.
According to cots, it's about:
$117M for Devers, Story, Yoshida, Giolito, Bello, Rafaela, Hendriks, Whitlock & Ref's option. That's just 9 players from the 26.
$20M for player benefits, the 0-3 year bonus pool and a little for Hosmer.
This brings us to about $137M before arbs, pre-arbs and 40 man roster salaries. The good thing is, many of our players are pre-arb and contributing. Here is a very early arb guess by me:
6.5 Houck (1st of 3 arbs is usually a gross underpay)
4.0 Duran (1st of 4 arbs)
3.0 Crawford (1st of 4 arbs)
2.5 McGuire (3rd of 3 arbs)
1.0 Dalbec (1st or 3 or non tendered)
I could be way off, but this is about $13M added for arbs.
That brings us to an even $150M for 13 players (14 w Dalbec.)
That leaves 13-14 pre-arb players before any outside additions. I think their pay will average between $725K and $750K. $750 x 13= 9.8M. I'll call it $10M.
With no additions, we'd be at about $160M.
No Pivetta, Jansen, Martin, O'Neill, Smith, Anderson. We could fill all those slots with current minor leaguers to get to 26, and add $3M for the 14 players on the 40, but in the minors. Let's say we get to $163M. That would leave...
$78M to spend to improve this projected 26 and 40 man roster:
SP1 Houck
SP2 ____ Crawford
SP3_____Bello
SP4 Criswell (Crawford)
SP5 Fitts (Bello)
RP1____ Hendriks
RP2 Whitlock (Hendriks & move everyone down on slot)
RP3 Slaten
RP4 Bernardino
RP5 Weissert
RP6 Fulmer
RP7 Booser
RP8 Winkowski/I Campbell
C Wong & McGuire
1B Casas
2B DHam & Grissom
SS Story & Romy G.
3B Devers
LF Duran & Ref
CF Rafaela
RF Abreu
DH Yoshida
14 Minor leaguers, assuming no additions
1 from ICampbell/Wink/Booser and Perales, Wikelman, Horn, Uwasawa
Heineman (or another catcher)
+ 6 Rule 5's: Bastardo, Dobbins, Guerrero, Jh Garcia, M Lugo & Yorke (Doubtful but take 2 from: Jordan, unless we nontender Dalbec, Hickey, Sogard, Castro, Paulino)
Big assumption, but let's say we spend $77M. I'd spend it something like this:
$27M SP
$20M SP or $10M on SP and $10M on SS/2B (see RHB)
$16M Closer
$14M RHB (1B/DH/middle IF?)
Do I think this happens? NO! I doubt we even come close.