From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Major League Baseball transactions
Major League Baseball transactions
Major League Baseball transactions are changes made to contending team but was ineligible for the postseason;
the roster of a major league team during or after the sea- for example, Pedro Ramos with the 1964 New York Yan-
son. They may include waiving, releasing, and trading kees and Sparky Lyle with the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies.
players, as well as assigning players to minor league If a player has been on an active major league roster
teams. for ten full seasons and on one team for the last five, he
may not be traded to another team without his consent
25-man and 40-man rosters (known as the 10 & 5 rule). Additionally, some players ne-
gotiate to have no-trade clauses in their contracts that
Main article: Major League Baseball rosters have the same effect.
Each Major League Baseball team maintains both a In some trades, one of the components is a "player to
25-man roster and a 40-man roster of players. Players on be named later" which usually turns out to be a minor
the 25-man roster are eligible to play in official major league player. The unnamed player is included as part of
league games throughout the season. The 40-man roster a trade when the teams cannot immediately agree on a
includes the players on the 25-man roster plus as many as specific player or when the player is not yet eligible to
15 players who are either on the team’s 7- or 15-day dis- be traded. In these cases, the player in question must be
abled list (see below), who are on paternity leave for up named within six months. Cash or other considerations
to 3 days, or who are in the team’s minor league system. may be exchanged in lieu of the player to be named lat-
From September 1 through the end of the regular season, er. For example, during the 1994 Major League Baseball
any player on the 40-man roster (also referred to as the strike, the Minnesota Twins traded Dave Winfield to the
"expanded roster") is eligible to play in an official regu- Cleveland Indians at the trade deadline. Among the con-
lar season game. Many young players make their Major ditions of the trade were that if the Indians played no
League debuts in this way, as "September call-ups." more games in 1994, "Indians general manager John Hart
To be eligible for a team’s playoff roster a player must must write a check for $100 made out to the Minneso-
be on any of the following: (a) the 25 man active roster, ta Twins and take Twins general manager Andy MacPhail
(b) the disabled list, (c) the bereavement list, or (d) the out to dinner."[2]
suspended list as of August 31 at midnight[citation needed].
The only exception is that a player on the 60-day disabled
list may be replaced by another player from the team’s
Waivers
40-man roster (as of August 31) who plays the same posi- Any player under contract may be placed on waivers
tion (i.e. position player for position player, or pitcher for ("waived") at any time. After MLB’s July 31 trade deadline
pitcher), with the approval of the commissioner of base- and through to the end of the season, however, a team
ball. must place a player on waivers if that player is to be eli-
gible to be traded. The National League (NL) was the first
Trades of the two major leagues to adopt this rule in 1917. Origi-
nally it was enforced after August 1.[3]
Teams may trade only players currently under contract, If a player is waived, any team may claim him. If
except those players who have been drafted in the last more than one team claims the player from waivers, the
year. From the end of the previous World Series through team with the weakest record in the player’s league gets
July, trades between two or more major league teams preference. If no team in the player’s league claims him,
may freely occur at any time. In August, trades may only the claiming team with the weakest record in the other
be made after all players in the trade clear waivers or league gets preference. In the first month of the season,
are not on 40-man rosters. Players acquired after August preference is determined using the previous year’s
31 are ineligible for the postseason roster unless they re- standings.
place an injured player. Unlike in the NFL, NHL and the If a team claims a player off waivers and has a viable
NBA, teams may not trade draft choices, but may pur- claim as described above, his current team (the "waiving
chase the rights to Rule 5 Draft Picks.[1] team") may choose one of the following options:
The August 31 rule was waived in 1945 for returning • arrange a trade with the claiming team for that
servicemen. Over the years, there have been several no- player within two business days of the claim; or
table cases where a player acquired after the August 31 • rescind the request and keep the player on its major
deadline made a significant contribution to a playoff- league roster, effectively canceling the waiver; or
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Major League Baseball transactions
• do nothing and allow the claiming team to assume roster does time spent on the disabled list count
the player’s existing contract, pay the waiving team towards the 90-day threshold. As with the prior
a waiver fee, and place the player on its active major example, this cannot occur with players who
league roster. spend a full season in a rookie or Class A (short
If a player is claimed and the waiving team exercises its season) league.
rescission option, the waiving team may not use the op- Once all of the options have been used up on a player, a
tion again for that player in that season—a subsequent player is considered "out of options" and a player must
waiver would be irrevocable with a claiming team getting be placed on and clear waivers prior to being sent down
the player essentially for nothing.[4] If no team claims a to the minor leagues (there is also the "veterans’ consent
player off waivers after three business days, the player rule; see below).
has cleared waivers and may be assigned to a minor
league team, traded (to any team), or released outright. Designated for assignment
The waiver "wire" is a secret within the personnel Main article: Designated for assignment
of the Major League Baseball clubs; no official announce- A player who is designated for assignment is immediately
ment of a waiver is made until a transaction actually removed from the 40-man roster. This gives the team
occurs, although information sometimes leaks out.[4][5] time to decide what to do with the player while freeing
Many players are often waived during the post-July up a roster spot for another transaction, if needed. Once
"waiver-required" trading period for teams to gauge a player is designated for assignment, the team has ten
trade interest in a particular player.[4] Usually, when the days to do one of the following things: the player can be
player is claimed, the waiving team will rescind the waiv- traded, the player can be released, or the player can be
er to avoid losing the player unless a trade can be worked put on waivers and, provided he clears, outrighted to the
out with the claiming team. minors. A player who is outrighted to the minors is re-
moved from the 40-man roster but is still paid according
Assignment to a minor league to the terms of his guaranteed contract. A player can on-
ly be outrighted once in his career without his consent.
team
Veterans’ consent
Options If a player has 5 years of major-league service, he may
If a player is on the 40-man roster but not on the active not be assigned to a minor-league team without his con-
major league roster, he is said to be on optional assign- sent, regardless of whether he has already been outright-
ment—his organization may freely move him between ed once, even if he clears waivers. If the player withholds
the major league club and the minor league club. The consent, the team must either release him or keep him on
rules for this are as follows. (In all cases, an assignment the major league roster. In either case, the player must
of a player on a major-league disabled list to the minors continue to be paid under the terms of his contract. If he
while on a rehabilitation assignment does not count as is released and signs with a new team, his previous team
time spent in the minors.) must pay the difference in salary between the two con-
• Once a player has been placed on a team’s 40-man tracts if the previous contract called for a greater salary.
roster, a team has 3 options on that player.
• A player is considered to have used one of those
three options when he spends at least 20 days in
Disabled list
the minors in any of those 3 seasons. Main article: Disabled list
• A team may have a fourth option on a player with If a major league player cannot play because of a medical
less than five full seasons of professional experience, condition, he may be placed on the 15-day disabled list
provided that both conditions are met below. (DL). This removes the player from the 25-man roster,
1. A player has not spent at least 90 days on an freeing up a space, but he is ineligible to play for at least
active professional roster in a season. Minor 15 consecutive days. Players on the 15-day disabled list
leagues that play below Class A Advanced have are still a part of the 40-man roster. An injured player
seasons that are shorter than 90 days, and as may also be placed on the 60-day disabled list to remove
such, any player who spends a full season in a the player from the 40-man roster as well, with the con-
rookie or Class A (short-season) league will dition of being ineligible to play for 60 consecutive days.
receive a fourth option year. Players placed on the 15-day disabled list may be
2. A player has not spent at least 60 days on an moved to the 60-day list at any time, but not vice versa.
active professional roster AND then at least 30 Players may be placed on either disabled list retroactive-
days on a disabled list in a season. Only after 60 ly for a maximum of 10 inactive days and may remain
days have been spent on an active professional on either list for as long as required to recover. During
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Major League Baseball transactions
this 10 day period, a player status is said to be day-to-day, canceling the rule 5 draft choice. Once a rule 5 draftee
indicating that the team is in the process of deciding if spends an entire season on his new team’s 25-man roster,
the player must be placed on either DL or if he is healthy his status reverts to normal and he may be optioned or
enough to return to active service. Injured players may designated for assignment. To prevent the abuse of the
not be traded without permission of the Commissioner rule 5 draft, the rule also states that the draftee must be
nor may they be optioned to the minors, though they active for at least 90 days. This keeps teams from draft-
may be assigned to a minor league club for rehabilitation ing players, then "hiding" them on the disabled list for
for a limited amount of time (30 days for pitchers, 20 for the majority of the season. For example, if a rule 5 draftee
non-pitchers). was only active for 67 days in his first season with his new
In 2011, a 7-day disabled list was added specifically club, he must be active for an additional 23 days in his
for players who have been concussed. This was instituted second season to satisfy the rule 5 requirements.
to allow players who may recover from their concussions Any player chosen in the rule 5 draft may be traded to
quickly to be removed from the active roster and re- any team while under the rule 5 restrictions, but the re-
placed for a shorter period of time than 15 days. If the strictions transfer to the new team—if the new team does
player is still suffering from concussion symptoms at the not want to keep the player on their 25-man roster for
15-day mark, they are automatically transferred to the the season, he must be offered back to the team he was
15-day DL. Both the brain injury and the player’s recov- on when he was chosen in the draft.
ery need to be verified by team and league doctors; the The intent of the rule 5 draft is to prevent teams
list is not intended for non-concussion injuries.[6] from holding major league-potential players in the minor
leagues when other teams would be willing to have them
Bereavement list play in the majors. However, this draft has also become
an opportunity for a team to take a top prospect from
The bereavement list may be used when a player finds it another team who might not be ready for the major
necessary to leave the team to attend to a serious illness leagues. For example, Cy Young award winner Johan San-
or death in his (or his spouse’s) immediate family. A play- tana was chosen by the Florida Marlins four years before
er placed on the bereavement list must miss a minimum winning the award, when the Houston Astros declined to
of three games and a maximum of seven games. The team put him on their 40-man roster. The Marlins chose San-
can use another player from its 40-man roster to replace tana in the 1999 rule 5 draft, and traded him to the Min-
a player on the bereavement list. nesota Twins who kept him on their roster for the 2000
season, in which he toiled to a 6.49 earned run average at
Paternity leave list only 21 years of age. Two years later, he legitimized him-
self as a Major League pitcher, with an ERA under 3.00,
The paternity leave list may be used when a player finds and two years after that, he was recognized as one of the
it necessary to leave the team to attend the birth of his best pitchers in the league. Had he not been chosen in
child. A player placed on the paternity leave list must the rule 5 draft, he likely would not have made his major-
miss the next team game, but no more than three games. league debut until the 2001 or the 2002 season with the
The team can use another player from its 40-man roster Astros.
to replace a player on the paternity leave list. This list
was adopted beginning with the 2011 season.
Free agency and salary arbitra-
Rule 5 draft tion
Main article: Rule 5 draft A free agent is a player whose contract with a team has
If a player not on a 40-man roster has spent four years expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another
with a minor-league contract originally signed when 19 team.
or older or five years when signed before the age of 19, If a player is drafted and is offered a contract by his
he is eligible to be chosen by any team in the rule 5 draft drafting team (or any team to which he is traded) each
during the offseason. No team is required to choose a year, he may not become a free agent until:
player in the draft, but many do. If chosen, the player 1. His contract has expired with at least six years of
must be kept on the selecting team’s 25-man major service time on a major league 25-man roster or
league roster for the entire season after the draft—he disabled list, OR
may not be optioned or designated to the minors. The se- 2. His contract has expired with less than six years of
lecting team may, at any time, waive the rule 5 draftee, service time, but is not tendered a contract or salary
such as when they no longer wish to keep him on their arbitration offer (if eligible) by the tender deadline
major league roster. If a rule 5 draftee clears waivers, (usually in the second week of December). Such
he must be offered back to the original team, effectively players become non-tender free agents.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Major League Baseball transactions
A player with less than six years of service time is eligible
for salary arbitration if he:
References
1. is without a contract for the next season, AND [1] "Major League Baseball draft Q&A". USA Today.
2. has been tendered a contract offer by his current 2003-06-03. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/
team by the tender deadline, AND baseball/draft/2003-06-03-draft-qanda.htm.
3. cannot agree with his current team on a new Retrieved 2007-07-08.
contract, AND [2] Tom, Keegan (1994-09-11). "Owners try on global
4. meets one of the conditions below: thinking cap". The Baltimore Sun. p. 2C.
1. has been on a major league roster or disabled list [3] Cronin, Brian. "Did Babe Ruth play a role in the
for at least three years, OR origin of the MLB trade deadline?" The Fabulous
2. has at least two years of major league service but Forum (Los Angeles Times sports blog), Wednesday,
less than three, AND is among the top 17 percent July 27, 2011.
for cumulative playing time in the majors in this [4] ^ Center, Bill (August 26, 2011). "Padres keep Bell,
class of players, AND was on an active major- lose game in Arizona". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
league roster for at least 86 days in the previous Archived from the original on August 28, 2011.
season. http://www.webcitation.org/61HsKdv0j.
Players with more than six years of service time and who [5] Lucas, Greg (August 24, 2011). "Waivers: Some
are eligible for free agency can also be offered arbitration things are better left secret". FoxSportsHouston.com.
when their contracts are up, if they have been tendered Archived from the original on August 25, 2011.
a contract offer by his current team by the tender dead- http://www.webcitation.org/61DSKKV1A.
line, and have not agreed on a contract.[7][8] [6] "MLB institutes 7-day DL for concussions".
The 4.2 example of arbitration eligibility above is http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/
called the "Super Two" exception, in which a player will story?id=6270514. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
have an extra year of arbitration eligibility.[9][10] Notable [7] Gorman, Thomas (2005-01-31). "The Arbitration
recent "Super Two" players include Sam Fuld, Ryan Process". Baseball Prospectus.
Howard and Tim Lincecum. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/
Following the salary arbitration process, the player article.php?articleid=3732. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
and the team both submit a salary offer for a new con- [8] Heitner, Darren (2010-04-08). "A Look Into
tract. The arbitrator chooses one number or the other, Baseball’s Salary Arbitration System". Sports Agent
based on which offer is closest to the salaries of players Blog. http://www.sportsagentblog.com/2010/04/
with similar ability and service time. 08/a-deep-look-into-baseballs-salary-arbitration-
Service time, for purposes of salary arbitration and system/. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
free agency, is 172 days; a season is 182 days long. [9] "MLBPA Info: Frequently Asked Questions". Major
Players eligible for neither free agency nor salary ar- League Baseball Players Association.
bitration are very seldom offered contracts for much http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/info/
more than the league minimum salary, as the player has faq.jsp#arbitration. Retrieved 2007-07-08.
no recourse to try to obtain a better salary elsewhere. For [10] Sullivan, Time (May 29, 2011). "Keeping Rizzo in
this reason, in the first three major league years of their Tucson today will pay off for Padres tomorrow".
careers (except for the "Super Two" exception above), it The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the
is standard practice for players to accept comparatively original on May 30, 2011.
low salaries even when their performance is stellar. Oc- http://www.webcitation.org/5z3yx6693.
casionally, a team may wish to sign a player in his sec-
ond or third year to a long-term contract, and the result-
ing negotiations can involve salaries significantly high-
External links
er than minimum. A recent example of this would be the • MLB Official Info: Rules, Regulations and Statistics at
contract Ryan Braun signed barely a year into his major MLB.com
league career, which will last until 2015. • Transactions Primer by Rob Neyer
A team does not have to offer a contract to a player • Options by Jeff Euston Bizofbaseball.com
not eligible for free agency if his contract has expired, re-
gardless of service time. If the player is not tendered a
contract offer by the tender deadline (usually in the sec-
ond week of December), the player becomes a non-tender
free agent.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Major_League_Baseball_transactions&oldid=447225843"
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Major League Baseball transactions
Categories:
• Baseball terminology
• Major League Baseball labor relations
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