Gotta nagging feeling that I'm missing something, but I think that's it, isn't it?

I hope he somehow sneaks through without being claimed, because I think he is going to be back to dominating sooner rather than later.

He was a starter that season, even though they already knew he'd eventually move the bullpen.  He moved up to Akron late that season, and while his ERA was mediocre, he struck out 136 in 137 innings.  Based on the K rate and his pure stuff, he would have been considered one of the top targets in the Rule 5.

That is the reason he was out of options after 2005.  But they obviously would have had to add him after 2003, when he struck out 9.5 K/9 -- still mostly as a starter -- in Double-A at age 21.  So any way they handled it, he would have been out of options before 2007.

So the only second-guess you can make is not rolling the dice on the Rule 5 in 2002.  That would have given them the ability to send Cabrera down to Buffalo for most of 2006, and there is a possibility that would have helped him.  Fact is, though, Cabrera got into 51 games in Cleveland last season, and four games in Buffalo on a dubious "rehab assignment."  The noncontending situation meant that the Indians weren't afraid to try to straighten him out in major league games, so maybe the option thing becomes a wash at that point.

Every out-of-options case reminds us that the new CBA gives teams an extra year with these guys, but there's always a chance you run out of time anyway.  You can always end up with a player who is just barely good enough to be a Rule 5 risk, one year earlier than you'd have liked, and then just barely good enough to be in the majors, but not yet truly ready, and out of options.

You can also note that this is an inherent problem with signing players under 18.  Cabrera had to be placed on the 40-man just days after his 21st birthday -- it would be his 22nd under the new CBA -- and many players are just not close to being major league contributors by that point, though they may be eventually.  There isn't anything that can be done about that, because you're not going to pass up a high-ceiling player -- i.e., one who can throw in the high 90's -- just because you might eventually lose him on the waiver wire.

Time to throw'em all against a wall and see who sticks.

See Jay's post, re: dog poop.

• A player out of options can't be "optionally assigned" to the minors.
  
• Therefore, he needs to be off the 40-man roster to go to the minors.
  
• A player has to clear waivers in order to be removed ("outrighted") off the 40-man roster.

The deadline-waiver rules apply to anyone on the 40-man roster.  If Cabrera somehow makes it to Buffalo, he'll be off the 40-man, so he can be traded to anyone, anytime.

i still want to know what the waiver rules are for non roster guys after the deadline...