How did Patterson clear waivers?

[mlpeel]

Another part of it is since Corey has passed the 3 years MLS sending him down required that he clear major league (revocable) waivers.

 

As noted in another post, Corey's major league service time is irrelevant: calendar time determines the need for waivers before optional assignments.

 

After Corey cleared waivers, then Hendry was free to either trade him or option him to the minors.

 

Hendry was free to trade Patterson without waivers. After the July 31 trading deadline, that won't be true -- but on July 31, the waivers currently secured on Patterson's contract will expire (they will also expire automatically if the Cubs promote Patterson to the big league club again before July 31). If the Cubs want to trade Corey after July 31, they'll have to pass him through waivers again.

 

Of course, the next time the Cubs bring Corey up, they will no longer be able to send him down again without his consent.

 

Not until he reaches 5 years of service, which won't happen until sometime next June at the earliest -- and the longer he remains in the minors this year, the longer that will take. Big league service time does not accumulate for guys optioned to the minors, only for guys on the major league 25 man active roster or a major league disabled list.

[mlpeel]

Patterson could have been claimed, talked to Hendry and Hendry didn't like the trade proposal, pulled back the waiver request, then put him back through again.

 

If a club requests waivers on a player and then withdraws the request, it is prohibited by rule from requesting waivers on that player for 30 days from the date the previous request was withdrawn. If it puts him on waivers again 30 days after a claim/withdrawal and a new waiver period hasn't started, the waivers request cannot be withdrawn. These rules sharply limit the usefulness of your suggestion of how things work.

[mlpeel]

But I believe the second time a player goes on waivers (in a given season) they're irrevocable - meaning if another club steps in and snatches that guy you're SOL.

 

Close: the second time a player goes on waivers within a waiver period (there are 4 per year), the waiver request can't be withdrawn. So a player can go on waivers 4 times in a year without the club being at risk of losing him.

 

The only guys that get claimed off waivers are guys the washed-up, over-priced, and under-performing players that the GM wants to cut loose anyway.

 

Those are exactly the guys who *don't* get claimed on waivers. If a team claims such a player on waivers and the claim is allowed to stand, it now owns that player's contract -- with all the obligations that entails. If, on the other hand, the player clears waivers and is released (or refuses an assignment and becomes a free agent), the waiving club has to pay his contract. Any other club can sign that player for pro-rated major league minimum (which they actually pay to the club paying his salary).

[wilk]

but on July 31, the waivers currently secured on Patterson's contract will expire (they will also expire automatically if the Cubs promote Patterson to the big league club again before July 31). If the Cubs want to trade Corey after July 31, they'll have to pass him through waivers again.

 

And what if they just want to keep him in the minors? Does he need to clear August waivers on Aug. 1?

[katway]

but on July 31, the waivers currently secured on Patterson's contract will expire (they will also expire automatically if the Cubs promote Patterson to the big league club again before July 31). If the Cubs want to trade Corey after July 31, they'll have to pass him through waivers again.

 

And what if they just want to keep him in the minors? Does he need to clear August waivers on Aug. 1?

 

No.

[wilk]

No.

 

Definitely not? I know that they no longer have waivers secured after July 31, and that he'd have to pass through if we wanted to trade him, but he can stay down as long as we want now that he cleared for this period?