A couple contract questions

[Walt Alston]

1) If you sign a player to a $1 million deal late in the season, are you offering a million dollars to finish the season, or are you offering to pay the rest of the season pro-rated so that, for the final weeks of the season, the player is getting a paycheck equal to a guy who had a $1 million deal for the entire season?


2) I'm looking at minor league players who used to play in the majors, and it seems pretty erratic whether they are making a major league salary, or a minor league salary.


Of course, if they signed a deal for a specific amount of money, that's simple, they get what was agreed to for the length of the contract. But how about a guy on the minimum major league salary. How can I know which ones must be released prior to the finances turning over on the arbitration date, if I want to avoid paying the salary, and which ones will be essentially free next year? As best as I can make out, it's pretty random.

[Fyrestorm3]

Originally Posted by Walt Alston

1) If you sign a player to a $1 million deal late in the season, are you offering a million dollars to finish the season, or are you offering to pay the rest of the season pro-rated so that, for the final weeks of the season, the player is getting a paycheck equal to a guy who had a $1 million deal for the entire season?

I believe it's $1M total, so he gets paid that for whatever he plays. Just another reason that it's generally not a good idea to pick guys up off the scrapheap in August.

Originally Posted by Walt Alston

2) I'm looking at minor league players who used to play in the majors, and it seems pretty erratic whether they are making a major league salary, or a minor league salary.

Well, if a player was under contract with a major league team and was sent to the minors from there, he'll keep that Major League contract. If, however, his contract had run out and he'd become a Free Agent, then signed a Minor League deal with another team, he'll be making Minor League salary.

Originally Posted by Walt Alston

Of course, if they signed a deal for a specific amount of money, that's simple, they get what was agreed to for the length of the contract. But how about a guy on the minimum major league salary. How can I know which ones must be released prior to the finances turning over on the arbitration date, if I want to avoid paying the salary, and which ones will be essentially free next year? As best as I can make out, it's pretty random.

It's not really random at all. Guys making the Major League minimum will either continue making the minimum, or become Free Agents. Players with a Minor League contract will either continue to be "free" (as OOTP doesn't take minor league salaries into account), or will become a Free Agent. There's no way for a player to switch between a Major League and Minor League contract, other than becoming a Major League player.

[Walt Alston]

On #1, thanks, that is what I suspected.


But on #2, unless my memory is off, there's more to it. I'm 99% sure that I've brought guys up for a short major league stint, sent them down, waived them to get them off the 40 man roster, and then seen them revert to a minor league contract -- sometimes... bur sometimes not. And I'd really like to figure out the system.

[CanadaCajanek21]

Originally Posted by Walt Alston

On #1, thanks, that is what I suspected.


But on #2, unless my memory is off, there's more to it. I'm 99% sure that I've brought guys up for a short major league stint, sent them down, waived them to get them off the 40 man roster, and then seen them revert to a minor league contract -- sometimes... bur sometimes not. And I'd really like to figure out the system.

DFA'ing a guy does not rid his major league contract, just him being on the 25 and 40 man rosters.