Quid Pro Quo –

Q – I’m thinking of a situation with Carl Pavano of the Indians. I’m actually a bit surprised that he wasn’t traded in July since the Tribe traded everyone else and Pavano has had a pretty solid year. That being said, perhaps the show-stopper is that his contract is “back-loaded” with appearance bonuses that start to kick in after his 18th start.
What happens if a team claims him and Mark Shapiro doesn’t pull him back? Would the claiming team be responsible for all of the remaining bonuses even though that will be well more than 1/3 of the total contract?
If Shapiro pulls him back and attempts to work out a trade with the claiming team, would the payment of bonus money be subject to negotiation or is the receiving team required to pay it since it would be earned in its uniform?
Also, are there any teams that attempt to claim pending (rated) free agents just to get extra draft picks?
Thanks as always,
JD

A – Always love JD’s questions. I can pretty much fill the whole post with these alone. The performance bonuses could have scared off some Clubs when looking at a pitcher with a 5.00+ ERA and the potential to earn another $2.5 M if he continues to pitch. (some of the PB’s are un-makeable at this point) If Pavano was to be claimed and awarded to another Club, the Indians would solely owe him for any bonuses he has earned currently, then would owe a pro-rated amount of any further bonuses earned while with his new organization. Finally, yes teams will watch for the potential of getting a draft pick from a claim. Obviously it doesn’t happen too often because those players have some value – even if it is just a pick.

Q – Hi Bart, would you mind answering a question? I thought that after 6 years in the bigs a baseball player was eligible for free agency. But Jason Frasor and Shawn Camp both have been in MLB for 6 seasons and neither is eligible for free agency.
So it must be that the player needs six FULL years in the major leagues? If a player spent, say, 1/2 the season in the minor leagues and 1/2 the season in the majors, he is given credit for only a partial year? Could you explain how that works? (might even be a good subject for a blog post)
Thanks in advance!
- Jim

A – No problem Jim. It is most definitely 6 FULL seasons in the Majors to become eligible for free agency. This is why the initial call-up date can be so important when it comes to player control. Check out one of my earliest posts – You Be The GM – Travis Snider for some further discussion on this topic.

Q – Is it possible to trade players between minor league teams? Could teams get around the trade waivers rule if they sent players to the minors and then traded them?
- Matt

A – You can absolutely trade players between minor league teams. However, this wouldn’t help get around the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline rules. Players on the 40-Man roster who are on option must be cleared through TR before being assigned to another organization as well.