Mark Prior eligible for arbitration?

[JeffH]

"Old Unreliable" Paul Sullivan writes:

 

Prior is entering the final year of a five-year, $10.5 million deal he signed as the Cubs' top draft pick out of USC in the summer of 2001. He earned $3.55 million in '05 and could receive a significant raise if he exercises his player option and files for arbitration, as expected.

 

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-051219cubs,1,2677941.story?coll=cs-cubs-headlines

 

I have been under the impression that Prior's "opt out" chance was for only after the 2004 season, if he had enough service time to qualify for arbitration.

 

I would like to read this from another beat writer before I'm convinced. VineLine did not have Prior listed as arb eligible, and they are usually pretty accurate about this sort of thing.

 

Mr. Bruce Miles, can you clear this up?

[Bruce Miles]

Prior did not reach "Super Two" status after last season. He is now arbitration eligible and may opt to file for arbitration this winter.

[goonys evil twin]

Mark Prior p

5 years/$10.5M (2002-06), plus incentives

 

$4M signing bonus

02:$0.25M, 03:$0.65M, 04:$1.6M, 05:$2M base (incentives to $2.75M), 06:$2M

2003 All Star selection increased 2004-06 salaries by $0.5M/season

additional $0.1M All Star incentive

Prior may void final 2 years (05-06) if he qualifies for arbitration after 2004 season

drafted 2001 (1-2), signed major-league contract 8/01

agent: John Boggs

ML service: 2.131

 

 

http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005_01_06_mlbcontracts_archive.html

 

This deal is weird. It sounds like he had to opt for arbitration if he was eligible last year, but he wasn't, so he's still under his first contract (2002-2006). But others are saying he can still opt out now.

 

If he is able to opt out and take arbitration, when is that deadline? I would have thought he had to make that decision earlier, when most other options are excercised or declined.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

From what I've gathered on Prior's contract, I'm going to respectfully disagree with Mr. Miles and (who cares if it's respectfully) Mr. Sullivan. The language about his contract that's been available for several years indicates that Prior's only chance to opt out was if he qualified for super-two status. There's no indication that the option rolled over. That said, they are in a position to know more than I, so maybe the option can roll over. But given that this is the first we've heard of it, and other signs like the Vineline as JeffH pointed out, I think Sullivan's off the mark here.

[Blueheart05]

From Cubs.com

 

Both Patterson and Pierre are arbitration eligible, along with Jerry Hairston Jr., Will Ohman, Carlos Zambrano, and Mark Prior.

 

Players with at least three years of service in the Major Leagues, plus the most senior 17 percent of those with between two and three years service, are eligible for salary arbitration.

 

Prior's initial contract guaranteed his salary for 2006. However, once he became an arbitration-eligible player -- which he now is with 3 years, 131 days of Major League service -- he has the right to file for arbitration.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

From Cubs.com

 

Both Patterson and Pierre are arbitration eligible, along with Jerry Hairston Jr., Will Ohman, Carlos Zambrano, and Mark Prior.

 

Players with at least three years of service in the Major Leagues, plus the most senior 17 percent of those with between two and three years service, are eligible for salary arbitration.

 

Prior's initial contract guaranteed his salary for 2006. However, once he became an arbitration-eligible player -- which he now is with 3 years, 131 days of Major League service -- he has the right to file for arbitration.

 

Repost so the discussion can stay here:

 

That still doesn't make sense. Plenty of players sign contracts through their arbitration years, and they don't have the option to file just because they have the service time. If Prior had the option to file, wouldn't we have heard about it before now?

[CardsFanInChiTown]

So when does Prior become a FA?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

So when does Prior become a FA?

 

After the 2008 season, and that doesn't change whether or not the confusion in this thread is true or not.

[goonys evil twin]

If Prior had the option to file, wouldn't we have heard about it before now?

 

My response when your posted this elsewhere was that we did hear about this before. It just wasn't clear for when and how he got that option. I don't know the final answer. But it's not true that we haven't heard about this before.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

If Prior had the option to file, wouldn't we have heard about it before now?

 

My response when your posted this elsewhere was that we did hear about this before. It just wasn't clear for when and how he got that option. I don't know the final answer. But it's not true that we haven't heard about this before.

 

We knew he had the option to file if he became eligible as a super-two after 2004, but there's nothing that indicates that the option rolled over to 2005. If it had, I have to believe we'd have heard something about it.

[goonys evil twin]

We knew he had the option to file if he became eligible as a super-two after 2004, but there's nothing that indicates that the option rolled over to 2005. If it had, I have to believe we'd have heard something about it.

 

That's the way many thought it was. But to be fair, I think we might have just heard that he can void it if he becomes arbitration eligible after 2004. I don't think we heard if he becomes arbitration elibigle in 2004 only, and not after 2005. In fact, in my first rough drafts of 2006 payroll, I was assuming Prior would be arb eligible and would get $4-6m instead of 2.5-3 or whatever he's guaranteed now. If I'm Hendry, and try and sign both Zambrano and Prior this offseason to contracts that would take away their first free agency season, hoping that the higher guarantee now would satisfy them more than the hope for greater money in 2008 or 2009.

[Scotti]

I wouldn't think Prior/his agent would lock him into a contract that stipulated he could *only* arb if he super two'd.

 

I agree with the beat writers.