Site FAQ additions: trade, waiver, free agency rules

[colbyjack]

I found an informative blog site that lists player contracts team-by-team. The link included takes you to the Brewers contract page, with all of the other teams listed on the left:

 

Cot's Baseball Contracts

mlbcontracts.blogspot.com...chive.html

[aracko]

Just asking the guys who know more about this than me a question. If Counsell agrees to a trade, are we able to move him before June 15th? Thanks to Socal for the link - it states the following:

 

June 16, 2007

First day a club may trade a player who was signed after the expiration of the 15-day free agency election period. A Club may assign the contract prior to this date for other player contracts and/or a cash consideration of no more than $50,000 if the player gives his written consent. CBA, Article XX (B) (6).

[1992casey]

Players signed as free agents can give written approval to be traded before June 16th. Craig has no-trade protection going above and beyond that, though. If he's traded, the third year of his contract automatically vests.

[RobertR]

It probably would be a good idea to add, as a sticky at the top of the page, a faq regarding trade, waiver, and free agency rules in baseball.

 

Topics I'd suggest include:

 

The June 16th question.

 

Service time thresholds for arbitration and free agency.

 

Free agency compensation.

 

The five and ten rule.

 

Options (particularly the fact that you can only use up one option a year, no matter how many times a player takes a plane to Nashville.)

 

Waiver Rules.

 

Probably something to work on.

 

Robert

[endaround]

Also rules for offering free agents arbitration.

[1992casey]

There's already some very good information in various parts of this site's FAQ, but the FAQ could stand for some modifications and additions.

 

I think this thread is as good a place as any to list those things.

 

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EDIT: I did another edit on the thread title. If another mod or staff member can think of a better way to approach this, I won't be bent out of shape if the title is edited again. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

 

Should this thread be in Issues?

[1992casey]

Has anyone found a copy of the new CBA online? It'd be the best source for a lot of the answers we're looking for.

[1992casey]

Here's one that's kind of obscure. Conversation in "Jenkins Club Option for 2008" thread:

Mad Hatter 610 :

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So say the team doesn't use the team option on Jenkins. If another team resigns him as a Free Agent, the Brewers wouldn't get any compensatory pick for him, would they?

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1992casey:

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Provided that Geoff declares free agency and the Brewers offer arby, the team would get whatever comp pick that they'd get otherwise.

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endaround:

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If you decline an option, you usually have to renounce the player and remove him from the 40 man. So no arby offer and no picks.

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1992casey:

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I'd swear on a box of baseballs that exactly this situation came up about a year ago on another team and that offering arby was an option.

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(edit: removed dead link)

[1992casey]

Because threads in the Major League forum are currently 'living' for only a month, I'm going to cross-post my message from the Gallardo middle relief thread regarding playoff rosters.

Here's some information I found about post-season rosters. Keep in mind that the rules change all the time and that it's totally plausible that some sources can be wrong.

 

The basic rule is explained by Jamey Newberg on texasrangers.com:

Rule 2©(2)(A) of the Major League Rules provides that a club's active roster must be reduced from 40 players to 25 from Opening Day until midnight on August 31. On September 1, clubs are allowed to put anyone on the 40-man roster in a big league uniform for the balance of the big league season. It's sort of a strange rule, in my opinion, as it's possible to see a team, for instance, go with 18 or 20 pitchers on its staff for the most important games of the season. That's an extreme example and teams don't take the opportunity to expand to that extent, but they can. Why give contenders the right to activate that many extra arms, changing game strategy altogether and creating the ability to match up relievers all night long?

 

Sorry, wrong space. There's no opinionating in rules-based Q&A's.

 

According to Rule 40(a), a player must be on his club's active big league roster or disabled list (or bereavement list, suspended list, or military list) on August 31 in order to be eligible for post-season play. That's why August 31 turns into a second artificial trade deadline of sorts. If a team can accomplish an August trade by acquiring a player who has cleared revocable waivers (or by placing the prevailing waiver claim on him and then making a deal for him), that player is eligible for the post-season. Example: John Burkett, whom Texas traded for on August 8, 1996.

 

If the team makes such a deal in September, the player may help his teammates get to the playoffs, but he can't appear once they get there. Example: former Ranger Mike Stanton, whom Boston acquired from Washington for the final weekend of the regular season last year.

 

Yes, players brought up in September must be on the 40 (but can be added then for that purpose). And yes, their service time counts.

Baseball Glossary gets into exceptions:

Playoff Rosters: Playoff rosters must be set at 25, not including disabled players, on August 31. For each player on the 60-day DL, teams may add players to the eligible list during the playoffs at the same position, provided that they were in the orginization on August 31. This is why some teams will bring up injured minor-league players and put them on the 60-day DL. Teams must choose 25 players from their playoff eligible list before each round of the playoffs.

(edit: removed dead link)

[1992casey]

This article by Keith Law is a great reference:

 

Death, Taxes, and Major League Waivers

[jaybird2001wi]

The August 31 waiver trade deadline has its loopholes though. For example, if the Brewers were to acquire a player in September through a trade, they can get around the playoff eligibility rule by stashing an injured player on the 40-man roster prior to August 31.

I believe this happened to the Anaheim Angels in 2002 when they won the World Series and Francisco Rodriguez became the hero. Rodriguez was not added to the 40-man roster until after August 31 because they basically had an injured player stashed on the 40-man roster.

One of the roster rules states that a player, who is not on the active 40-man roster, can be placed on the post-season if he replaces an injured player.

I know ESPN.com had an article about this loophole a few years ago, and tried doing a google search on it but could not find it.

Hypothetically, the Brewers could "activate" Corey Koskie from the 15-day DL and stash him in the minors and then acquire an extra bat or arm after August 31st and then declare Koskie "out for the season" and remove him from the 40-man roster, hence leaving a spot open for the acquired player, who is now eligible for the playoffs.

[1992casey]

Additional references:

 

How irrevocable waivers work

 

Speaker Series: Brian O'Halloran (waiver rules, etc.)

[1992casey]

Thanks to Sam, regarding the number of free agents teams are allowed to sign...

 

From the CBA, page 74:

(5) Quota

 

(a) Clubs shall be limited in the number of Type A and B Players, as defined below, they may subsequently sign to contracts. The number of signings permitted shall be related to the number of Players electing free agency under this Section B. If there are 14 or less such Players, no Club may sign more than one Type A or B Player. If there are from 15 to 38 such Players, no Club may sign more than two Type A or B Players. If there are from 39 to 62 such Players, no Club may sign more than three Type A or B Players. If there are more than 62 such Players, the Club quotas shall be increased accordingly. There shall be no restrictions on the number of unranked Players that a Club may sign to contracts.

 

(b) Irrespective of the provisions of subparagraph (a) above, a Club shall be eligible to sign at least as many Type A and B Players as it may have lost through Players having become free agents under this Section at the close of the season just concluded.

[1992casey]

I'm locking this in favor of this topic:

 

MLB Roster Management thread