Reyes, Donnelly coming up; Ginter to DL, Mastny optioned to Buffalo
Reyes is slated to start on Friday. Donnelly hasn't pitched in the majors since last June, and he had Tommy John surgery a year ago.
over 3 years ago
millionairesrow
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I’m a little confused about Donnelly’s contract status. So we signed him as a minor league FA on a one-year deal, and supposedly if he wasn’t rostered by today he could terminate the contract and sign with somebody else. Ok, got that—but do we control his rights for next year? Cot’s says he has 4.158 years of service time, which I think makes him a reserve player. But does that whole calculus go out the window once somebody’s been non-tendered (which he was, by Boston last year) and signed to a minor league deal? That is, does he then become a non-reserve player? Anybody?
Castro sez: “While the Indians have no contractual claim to the 37-year-old Donnelly beyond this season, they want to get a look at him to know if he is worth pursuing for 2009.” I’m not sure if that answers my question though.
That would be a very non-standard clause in a major league contract. Essentially, forbidding the club from tendering the player a contract at the end of the year.
There is nothing about being non-tendered, released, outrighted, etc. that affects a player’s reserve or arbitrations status, and it’s extremely rare for a contract to work around those things, which are so fundamental to the CBA.
by Jay on Aug 6, 2008 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually I think the basic agreement says once a player is non-tendered, he is no longer a reserve player:
ARTICLE XX—Reserve System
A. Reservation Rights Of Clubs
Subject to the rights of Players as set forth in this Agreement, each
Club may have title to and reserve up to 40 Player contracts. A Club
shall retain title to a contract and reservation rights until one of the following
occurs:
(1) The Player becomes a free agent, as set forth in this Agreement;
(2) The Player becomes a free agent as a result of
(a) termination of the contract by the Club pursuant to paragraph
7(b) thereof,
(b) termination of the contract by the Player pursuant to paragraph
7(a) thereof,
(c) failure by the Office of the Commissioner to convey to the
Player, by Central Tender Letter submitted to the Association, the
Club’s tender of a new contract within the time period specified
in paragraph 10(a) of the contract (see Attachment 9), or
(d) failure by the Club to exercise its right to renew the contract
within the time period specified in paragraph 10(a) thereof;
or
(3) The contract is assigned outright by the Club.
No, that is not the case. Players who have been non-tendered or released get signed to minor league deals all the time, and if they make it back to the majors, they remain reserve players.
A great example is Ron Belliard, who was non-tendered after the 2003 season, at which point his service time was 4.158. We signed him as a free agent for 2003 — and not even as a minor league free agent, it was a major league contract. At the end of the season, he was eligible for arbitration — not for free agency.
Blake was drafted by the Blue Jays, claimed on waivers by the Twins, claimed on waivers by the Orioles, claimed on waivers a second time by the Twins, who eventually non-tendered him. He signed a minor league deal with the Indians after 2002 with less than a year of service time. Obviously, Blake had a totally normal career after that point in terms of his eligibility for arbitration and free agency — just the same as if we had drafted him out of college at age 25 or something.
So anyway … no, that’s not it.
Well then maybe Donnelly’s just old enough that his free agent status predates the current CBA. Check out his BB-Ref page—it says he was “granted free agency” in 1993(!). So I guess it must just be that even though he doesn’t have the 6 full seasons of service time, under the terms of the then-current CBA in ‘93 when he was released by the White Sox he became a free agent and couldn’t ever have reserve status after that.
Unless somebody else has an explanation.
No. Those clauses have not changed in quite a while, and whatever changes refers back to the prior CBA.
It is not the case that just because a player was “granted free agency” at some point, he doesn’t become a reserve player again. Every player is a reserve player if, at the end of the season, he’s on a 40-man roster and has less than six years of service time. There are literally no exceptions to this.
by Jay on Aug 7, 2008 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t have an explanation, but I seem to recall that Donnelly was a replacement player in 1994. If he’s still being stiffed by the union, would that have any effect on his status? Then again, my memory is selective and notoriously fallible.
by ken from alexandria on Aug 7, 2008 8:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh, I’ll bet that’s it. I see that he was at least for a while banned from the MLBPA because he was a replacement player, and in a couple minutes on google I couldn’t find any evidence that he was ever allowed back in.
No … the CBA covers non-union members as well, they just can’t vote.
I’m telling you, there is no question that he is not a free agent at the end of the year under the rules.
The only way he can be a free agent is if the Indians release him.
Castrovince wrote me back:
I was told Donnelly had his free agent eligibility after this year negotiated into his contract, which seems odd… and rare.
So… there you go, I guess.
by mrich on Aug 7, 2008 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, he and I had some back and forth about this yesterday, and he asked the front office directly to clarify it.
by Jay on Aug 7, 2008 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions
So then the Indians have to release him after the season? Because I don’t think he has enough service time to be eligible.
That’s been the whole discussion. I asked Castrovince about this, and he asked the question to the front office directly.
The answer, straight from the front office: The Indians agreed to put a special and highly unusual clause into Donnelly’s contract, in which they agree to DFA and release him outright at the end of the season.
The only other player I can think of where a contract had a clause like this was Hideki Matsui, whose first contract with the Yankees stipulated that they had to release him by Nov. 11 after the final year of the contract, unless they had signed him to an extension first.
I personally think these clauses simply should not be allowed by the commissioner, as they have the potential to undercut the entire basis of the reserve system. What’s to stop Boras from starting to ask for a clause like this for every draft pick, or for every international signing?
Especially considering millionairesrow is, like, the king of headline news linking around here.
Shape up, or I’m telling Marte to grab a bat!
by Jay on Aug 6, 2008 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Well considering I was excited for Reyes to be part of next year’s rotation, I guess it’s fitting that I be there for his first start as an Indian.
jesus, i better get ginter out of my starting line-up on my fantasy team and move him to the DL.
by Brick. on Aug 6, 2008 8:42 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
you really picked up Ginter? You must be joking. I was considering picking up Sowers and then smacked myself in the face.
"I think people should be allowed to do anything they want. We haven't tried that for a while. Maybe this time it'll work." -George Carlin
One of my closers was just sent to AAA to become the next Justin Chamberlain, so I refuse to pass judgment on anyone’s fantasy choices.
Anyone else really hoping one of our fliers on Reyes or Bullington or Zach Jackson (or any other #1 picks we grabbed) turns into a Jeremy Guthrie situation, only for our benefit this time?
Um, I’m hoping that any player we have becomes a good major league player, anyone, any time, regardless of the circumstance.
Do I care if it’s J.D. Martin or Bryan Bullington? Not one bit.
Shapiro: “Mmmmmm…. yeeeahhhh…. Tom… listen, we’re going to need you… ahhh …. to move your desk… ALLLL the way to the back of this locker…. we’ve got some retread and flameouts we need to put in here…. yeeeeeeeeeahh… grreeeaaaaat….”
If you need me, I'll be senselessly rooting for Sizemore 40/40 for the remainder of 2008.
Did you..mmmm..get the memo?
You have no idea the physical toll that three vasectomies have on a person
by jakesinger777 on Aug 7, 2008 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions
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