"Cut Week" across MLB begins this coming Monday.
The term is used amongst front offices league wide, and refers to roster decisions that; due too previously agreed upon MLBPA/MLB contracts, have to be made prior to opening day. Due to those stipulations, most teams can't wait till the last minute, they have to settle their final roster spots prior to opening day.
Every year there are over 600 players signed to minor league contracts and invited to big league camps. This year's NRI lists include over 400 players with prior big league service and a select group of those players (44 players as of this moment) are referred too as Article XX-B Free Agent Signees. For a refresher on who these players are, please read the stickied thread above that I have updated throughout the off-season.
In any given year maybe 10% of those 600 will have their contracts purchased for opening day, and at least half of those players are usually XX-B Free Agent Signings.
If the following 44 players are either not released by noon (EST) on Saturday, March 27th or are not added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) or MLB 60-day Disabled List by noon (EST) on Thursday, April 1st then the player shall automatically receive a $100,000 retention bonus, and the player shall receive an additional clause in their minor league contract that allows them to universally opt-out of their minor league contract on June 1st if he has not been added to an MLB Active List (26-man roster) or an MLB Disabled List by that date.
Service Time - Pos - Name - Team - '21 Big League Salary (M$) if purchased
16.093 - RP - Oliver Pérez - CLE - 1.25
14.012 - C - Jeff Mathis - PHI - 1.80
12.125 - OF - Jay Bruce - NYY - 1.35
12.111 - 2B - Jed Lowrie - OAK - unknown
12.012 - IF - Pablo Sandoval - ATL - 1.00
11.154 - SP - Jordan Zimmermann - MIL - unknown
11.146 - SP - Gio González - MIA - 1.00
11.124 - RP - Ian Kennedy - TEX - 2.15
11.123 - OF - Matt Joyce - PHI - 1.50
11.105 - SP - Derek Holland - DET - 0.93
11.066 - RP - Tommy Hunter - NYM - 2.25
11.059 - OF - Cameron Maybin - CHC - unknown
10.134 - OF - Jon Jay - LAA - 1.00
10.108 - RP - Jesse Chavez - LAA - unknown
10.024 - SP - Iván Nova - PHI - 1.50
9.101 - RP - Tony Watson - PHI - 3.00
9.071 - 3B - Todd Frazier - PIT - 1.50
9.069 - 2B - Jason Kipnis - ATL - 1.50
9.067 - C - Drew Butera - TEX - 1.00
9.003 - RP - Brandon Kintzler - PHI - 3.00
8.154 - IF - Dee Strange-Gordon - CIN - 1.00
8.134 - 2B - Eric Sogard - CHC - unknown
8.103 - C - Robinson Chirinos - NYY - 1.00
8.062 - SP - Julio Teheran - DET - 3.00
8.000 - RP - Hector Rondón - PHI - 1.50
7.131 - SP - Wade LeBlanc - BAL - 0.70
7.127 - SP - Matt Harvey - BAL - 1.00
7.090 - RP - Jeremy Jeffress - WSN - 1.25 (already released)
7.052 - UT - Brock Holt - TEX - 1.75
7.033 - RP - Nick Vincent - TEX - 1.40
7.033 - RP - Brad Boxberger - MIL - unknown
7.009 - CF - Billy Hamilton - CHW - unknown
6.164 - RP - T.J. McFarland - WSN - unknown
6.144 - C - Sandy León - MIA - 1.25
6.131 - SS - Chris Owings - COL - 1.00
6.112 - 2B - Derek Dietrich - NYY - 1.35
6.100 - 2B - Joe Panik - TOR - 1.85
6.131 - IF - Ehire Adrianza - ATL - 1.50
6.107 - SP - Jimmy Nelson - LAD - 1.25
6.097 - 1B - C.J. Cron - COL - 1.00
6.060 - IF - Andrew Romine - MIN - unknown
6.059 - RP - Erasmo Ramírez - DET - 0.80
6.002 - C - Bryan Holaday - ARI - unknown
3.009 - OF - Yasmany Tomás - WSN - unknown
Additionally, if any of the following 24 players sign a minor league contract prior to noon (EST) on Monday, March 22nd then they would be added to the above list. SP Mike Leake, SP Edinson Vólquez, SP Aníbal Sánchez, SP Cole Hamels, SP Rick Porcello, RP Shane Greene, RP Tyler Thornburg, RP A.J. Ramos, RP Brad Peacock, RP David Robertson, RP Juan Nicasio, C Tyler Flowers, C René Rivera, C Matt Wieters, 1B Jedd Gyorko, 2B Daniel Descalso, 2B Logan Forsythe, UT Sean Rodriguez, UT Eduardo Nuñez, OF Matt Kemp, OF Josh Reddick, OF Ryan Braun, OF Yoenis Cespedes, and DH Edwin Encarnación.
---If 2021 is like any other year, half of these players will be released prior to those stipulated deadlines (and in most cases re-signed a few days later to new minor league contracts) so that their current teams don't have to pay them a retention bonus. Most of the remaining half will make opening day rosters. A small number will be awarded the "retention" bonus.