Service time manipulation: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:06, 27 June 2025

Latest revision as of 22:07, 27 June 2025

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==Service time==

For purposes of salary arbitration and free agency, a player acquires a year of service time if the player remains on the major league roster for at least 172 days of a typical 187-day season. Players may either be active, meaning that they are eligible to play in games, or on the [[injured list]].<ref name="cbssports-2021-03">{{cite news |last1=Perry |first1=Dayn |title=MLB service-time manipulation: Why longstanding baseball practice is a major issue in 2021 |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-service-time-manipulation-why-longstanding-baseball-practice-is-a-major-issue-in-2021/ |access-date=May 11, 2022 |work=CBS Sports |date=March 2, 2021 |language=en}}</ref> According to the 2022–2026 [[collective bargaining agreement]] (CBA), an MLB player earns service time in one-day increments, up to 172 days, equaling one year, per season.<ref>{{cite web |title=2022–2026 Basic Agreement |url=https://www.mlbplayers.com/_files/ugd/4d23dc_d6dfc2344d2042de973e37de62484da5.pdf |website=Major League Baseball Players Association |page=114 |date=March 10, 2022}}</ref> Six years of service time is a key metric for eligibility for free agency. Commentators have noted that the rules of service time create a [[perverse incentive]] for teams to avoid putting their best players on the major league roster for the entire season to save money and to retain control over their players for an extra season.<ref name="azpbs-2021-05">{{cite news |last1=Johnston |first1=James |title=Service time manipulation: Why MLB teams wait to call up prospects |url=https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2021/05/17/service-time-manipulation-debate-rages-as-mlb-teams-hold-off-on-bringing-up-top-prospects/ |access-date=May 11, 2022 |work=Cronkite News |date=May 17, 2021}}</ref>

After several high profile examples of service time manipulation had been alleged in the 2010s and 2020s, MLB's new [[collective bargaining agreement]]CBA to end the [[2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout|2021–22 lockout]] included provisions to increase service time eligibility. The top two finishers in Rookie of the Year voting in each league are automatically awarded a full year of service, regardless of how much they actually accrued that year. Teams will receive [[Major_League_Baseball_draft#Compensatory_picks|extra draft picks as compensation]] for promoting young players to their Opening Day roster who later finish in the top 3 in the Rookie of the Year voting or in the top 5 in [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] or [[Cy Young Award]] voting.<ref name="athleticsnation-2022-03">{{cite news |title=The new CBA: Some small wins for the MLBPA and a big win for the A's |url=https://www.athleticsnation.com/2022/3/11/22972345/mlb-collective-bargaining-agreement-details-oakland-as-salary-payroll |access-date=May 11, 2022 |work=Athletics Nation |date=March 11, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

==Examples==