whats the deal with options???

[ronsanto10]

So with Aram, Johnson, and Guzman coming back, who do the cubs send down?? i hear lots of "he has options left"...well...what does that mean?? how many options does a player get?? im just curious...

 

 

thanks----

[BCVM22]

Options have to do with how many times a player can be sent down to the minors without having to clear waivers and are tied to major league service time. That's the basics - others can explain how many a player gets and why.

[biittner77]

It depends on service time. Generally speaking, a player has 3 option years where he can go up and down as many times as the team wants. That option clock starts when a player is first placed on the 40 man roster. This is why the Cubs were forced to trade Cedeno because he was added to the 40 man too early for no apparent reason. A player that is out of options or has enough service time has to clear waivers in order to be sent down.

[haubrich91]

Here's a great site for showing how many options are left for each guy on the 40 man roster.

http://thecubreporter.com/cubs-40-man-roster

 

Each player gets 3 options, and they are used up when a player goes from the Minor Leagues to the Major Leagues. At the end of that season if you have been called up and sent down, your option total decreases by one.

 

I think that's how it goes.

[dew1679666265]

A player has a certain number of options that can be used for them to freely pass between the minors and the majors. Options count for the entire year, so it doesn't matter if a player is called up and sent down once in a season or 20 times, it only counts as one option each year.

 

If a player runs out of options, he must clear waivers before being demoted to the minors. Players get three option years (I think it occasionally can be 4, but I'm not sure on those rules).

[SouthSideRyan]

Here's a great site for showing how many options are left for each guy on the 40 man roster.

http://thecubreporter.com/cubs-40-man-roster

 

Each player gets 3 options, and they are used up when a player goes from the Minor Leagues to the Major Leagues. At the end of that season if you have been called up and sent down, your option total decreases by one.

 

I think that's how it goes.

 

Getting called up doesn't use an option year, only being sent down. At the beginning of the year everyone who is on the 40 man roster that starts the year in the minors has used an option year by being "sent down" at the end of spring training" However, in a case where a guy is added to the 40 man roster in season, he doesn't burn an option until he is sent down. Say Bobby Scales (added to 40 man during the season simultaneously with his call up) never got sent down this year, he'd still have 3 full option years remaining.

[NCCubFan]

Players get three option years (I think it occasionally can be 4, but I'm not sure on those rules).

I'm not sure if there's a set rule for granting a 4th option year or if that's decided on a case-by-case basis. The Cubs were granted an extra option year for Angel Guzman when he was recovering from TJS.

[dew1679666265]

Players get three option years (I think it occasionally can be 4, but I'm not sure on those rules).

I'm not sure if there's a set rule for granting a 4th option year or if that's decided on a case-by-case basis. The Cubs were granted an extra option year for Angel Guzman when he was recovering from TJS.

 

I know it happens, but it's so rare that I can never remember when it kicks in.

[JeffH]

Here's a great site for showing how many options are left for each guy on the 40 man roster.

http://thecubreporter.com/cubs-40-man-roster

 

Each player gets 3 options, and they are used up when a player goes from the Minor Leagues to the Major Leagues. At the end of that season if you have been called up and sent down, your option total decreases by one.

 

I think that's how it goes.

 

Getting called up doesn't use an option year, only being sent down. At the beginning of the year everyone who is on the 40 man roster that starts the year in the minors has used an option year by being "sent down" at the end of spring training" However, in a case where a guy is added to the 40 man roster in season, he doesn't burn an option until he is sent down. Say Bobby Scales (added to 40 man during the season simultaneously with his call up) never got sent down this year, he'd still have 3 full option years remaining.

 

Good explanation.

 

A good way to think about it is this:

 

Any time a player is on the 40-man roster, but not on the active major league 25-man roster or on the major league disabled list, he's "burning" an option year. This is a slight oversimplification, but it's a very good rule of thumb.