How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

[Austin Hawk]

I'm about to start my second season in franchise mode and I noticed that all the guys that were called up last September are still listed on my MLB roster. This is a problem when spring rolls around and I can only have 25 of course. But when I try to move them back down to AAA where they belong, the CPU keeps prompting me that I'm using up one of their options.

How do I avoid this? Can I go in after the World Series in the fall and move players back down to AAA without incurring the option? At this rate my young guys will be out of options by the age of 22 even though they are not ready to play full time MLB.

I wish there was a way to simplify the roster stuff without turning all control over the the AI.

[fullmetal2405]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

Well your 40-man roster will be on the MLB team during spring training anyway. Only way I've found to move them down before the season is, unfortunately, to use a minor league option.

[Austin Hawk]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

I also don't know how to sign a free agent and avoid having them placed on the 40-man roster by default. I just signed a veteran 35 year old 1st baseman just to fill out roster slots for my minor leaguers and he was placed on MLB and out of options, so the only way to send him down was to put him through waivers.

He was lowest rated 1st baseman in FA, so you would think I could have the option to sign him to a AA or AAA contract.

[dutch4404]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

I may be wrong but I don't think there is a way to sign someone to a minor league contract. And in real life if u send a guy to minors during spring training it uses an option.

[sacbillsfan]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

I may be wrong but I don't think there is a way to sign someone to a minor league contract. And in real life if u send a guy to minors during spring training it uses an option.

This. And it is the reason why teams will keep young prospects off the 40 man roster until they are eligible for the Rule 5 draft and they are not ready to contribute at the ML level. I know I put my young A potential players on the 40 man just so I can use them in September, but in reality you'd rarely see a raw player with high potential on the 40 man during his first season. Bryce Harper is the exception because he's ML ready in the minds of Nationals.

[Austin Hawk]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

This. And it is the reason why teams will keep young prospects off the 40 man roster until they are eligible for the Rule 5 draft and they are not ready to contribute at the ML level.

But if I have a very young "A" potential prospect (Taijuan Walker) and I don't put him on the 40-man roster, isn't he able to be picked up by another team if he doesn't sign a contract in the offseason?

[zippy2212]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

But if I have a very young "A" potential prospect (Taijuan Walker) and I don't put him on the 40-man roster, isn't he able to be picked up by another team if he doesn't sign a contract in the offseason?

I could be wrong, as I haven't made it to the off season yet, but I think that all young players are under team control for 6 years. Meaning someone like Walker or any 18-19 year old player even if they are not on the 40 man they will sign as long as you offer them a contract. Of course after awhile they will be eligible for the rule 5 draft if not added to the 40 man.

As far as the original question, there is no way to have someone on the 40 man and send them to the minor leagues with out using an option. The one thing to keep in mind is options are years not times sent down. So if you send a player down in spring training you can call them up/send them down as much as you want during that year and only use 1 option. Giving you 3 years before the player is out of options.

Last but not least If you have an opening on you 40 man roster most times older FA's will be assigned to your 40 man. My suggestion would be just remove him from your 40 man. If he is that lowly rated he should make it through waivers. Just make sure to save a second copy of your franchise in case he does get claimed you can go back to the other save.

Sorry for the long post hope that helps.

[Austin Hawk]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

Thanks Iron - that helps, though I found out through trial about the older scrappy vet getting through waivers. And I have at least a dozen different save points throughout my season, lol - I'm so paranoid about not understanding a lot of roster and budget mechanics.

Going back to your first point about a young player signing any contract - I had a couple of guys not sign (they were expendable and I didn't offer much) - but hypothetically what if Taijuan Walker doesn't sign a reasonable deal? I offered him 2 years at 500,000 a year (reasonable I thought considering he still wasn't on my 40-man roster and was only playing AAA ball - he was about to turn 20).

[dutch4404]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

The one thing to keep in mind is options are years not times sent down. So if you send a player down in spring training you can call them up/send them down as much as you want during that year and only use 1 option. Giving you 3 years before the player is out of options.


Sorry for the long post hope that helps.

i didnt know this, thx for the info. great to know!

[zippy2212]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

I'm the same way. I just do it to make sure I can cover anything crazy.

But to your question, I'm not sure. I guess he would then just be a free agent. In years past I've always had success doing what you are by offering them a fair multi-year offer so I didn't have to worry about them every off season. I think you should be ok.

[ktd1976]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

Well your 40-man roster will be on the MLB team during spring training anyway. Only way I've found to move them down before the season is, unfortunately, to use a minor league option.

Why unfortunately? The Show has this absolutely correct. In the real MLB, any player on the 40 man roster who gets sent down during, or after spring training DOES USE an available option. There is no way around this because in real life, there is no way around this, short of removing the player from the 40 man roster (and exposing him to waivers in doing so)

[Austin Hawk]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

Okay going back to the original problem - Once a guy is placed on your 40-man roster, he will automatically be called up in September. Once that happens, he will inevitably have to be sent back down to AAA by the start of the next season when you go back to 25-man rosters. There's no avoiding this. So I guess I'm still wondering if there is a way to avoid using an option when a guy gets called up in September and then has to return to AAA when the season is over.

At this rate you're burning through 15 players' options every September. Doesn't seem quite right - like you're punishing a player for bringing guys up in September. Should be like the DL, where the September call-ups don't count against options. Can anyone clarify this? Otherwise by top prospects in AAA will be out of options in three years.

[ktd1976]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

Okay going back to the original problem - Once a guy is placed on your 40-man roster, he will automatically be called up in September. Once that happens, he will inevitably have to be sent back down to AAA by the start of the next season when you go back to 25-man rosters. There's no avoiding this. So I guess I'm still wondering if there is a way to avoid using an option when a guy gets called up in September and then has to return to AAA when the season is over.

At this rate you're burning through 15 players' options every September. Doesn't seem quite right - like you're punishing a player for bringing guys up in September. Should be like the DL, where the September call-ups don't count against options. Can anyone clarify this? Otherwise by top prospects in AAA will be out of options in three years.

I answered this in my previous post.

NO there isn't a way to avoid using said option. It is this way for a reason. That reason is because this is how it is in "real life" (the real MLB).

Calling up a player from the minors in september, or any other time during the season, and sending him down doesn't use an option for that year, because that option has ALREADY been used (when the player was "optioned" to the minors after spring training).

Now, when Spring Training begins the next season, ALL players on the 40 man roster are considered on the "Active Roster" There is no way around this, because this is the way it is in the real MLB.

When the rosters are trimmed, to get down to the 25 man regular season roster, an option year is used. Again, this is how it is in the real MLB, thus there is no way around it.

Where the Show gets it wrong, is we are not allowed to have "non-roster invitees" on our spring training roster. This is where you may be confused, as these players can be re-assigned to the minors without using an option, because they aren't on the 40 man roster, and "technically" have never made it to the "active roster" Once added to the 40 man roster, these players would have to use an option year to return to the minors.

In short, there is no way around using an option to send players down during, or at the end of spring training, because this is how it is in the real MLB.

The Show has this part exactly right.

Hope this clears it up for you.

[Austin Hawk]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

Okay thanks again for straightening this out - although I guess my problem now is that I am not sure how to handle this properly while running my franchise.

If I have a couple of stud "A" potential 18-19 year olds that I want to leave in AA and AAA for a couple of years while they develop, is it unwise to put them on the 40-man roster? Because once I do that, they will burn through those 3 years of options by the time they are 21-22 years old just from September call ups, right?

So I guess the solution is to NOT put very young talented prospects on the 40-man roster, am I right? I think I was under the impression that the 40-man roster "protected" them from being poached by other teams, but based on someone else's earlier comment, that doesn't seem likely as long as I make fair contract offers.

So I guess I'm fairly clear on the rules, just looking for advice on how to manage the 40-man roster in franchise mode without losing all my options too quickly.

[Knight165]

Re: How do I avoid having guys on 40-man roster use option before each season?

Okay thanks again for straightening this out - although I guess my problem now is that I am not sure how to handle this properly while running my franchise.

If I have a couple of stud "A" potential 18-19 year olds that I want to leave in AA and AAA for a couple of years while they develop, is it unwise to put them on the 40-man roster? Because once I do that, they will burn through those 3 years of options by the time they are 21-22 years old just from September call ups, right?

So I guess the solution is to NOT put very young talented prospects on the 40-man roster, am I right? I think I was under the impression that the 40-man roster "protected" them from being poached by other teams, but based on someone else's earlier comment, that doesn't seem likely as long as I make fair contract offers.

So I guess I'm fairly clear on the rules, just looking for advice on how to manage the 40-man roster in franchise mode without losing all my options too quickly.

Players are not available to other teams until they have been 6 years in the minor leagues(not on the 40 man)
OR
On the 40 man for 3 years(using 3 options) AND you try and send them down at some point(with 0 options left)
There is no need to have your 18-24 year old prospects on the 40 man to protect them unless you plan on bringing them up to the MLB.
Also...just for your own peace of mind....look at the player card...flip through the pages and it tells you his Rule V status(which is where he can be lost if he is NOT on the 40 man and no longer under team control(which is when you can give him a contract renewable contract)
Also be aware that some players who are under team control...and you offer regular multi-year contracts in the off season....won't accept your contract. If you see he is not "SIGNED".....in the last week of the off season...you must offer him a 1 year contract renewable contract to retain him.(he doesn't "like" your multi-year deal for whatever reason)



M.K.
Knight165