MLB: The Intricacies of Salary Arbitration (and building a team)

[Auggie]

John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle / 03-10-10

Lots of reasons to follow Jason Heyward. He was considered the top player in the minor leagues last season. He's one of the biggest stories in spring training, playing like an All-Star in the Braves' camp. By all accounts, the 20-year-old should be Atlanta's right fielder in the (San Francisco) Giants' home opener April 9. But there's a reason he might open another season in the minors: service time.

Last year, the Braves kept pitcher Tommy Hanson on the farm until early June though he certainly was ready for the majors. By doing so, the Braves will control Hanson for another year before he's eligible for arbitration, a process that generally increases a player's salary multifold. That he was 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA suggests he could have been called up earlier.

But ultimately, the Braves will save cash, which is why Heyward is on the bubble.

Even if they keep him in the minors for a few weeks - as the Rays did with Evan Longoria at the start of 2008 - they could save millions by slowing his free-agent clock. Six years are required for free agency, and a full season is at least 172 days. Longoria got in 170.

MORE: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/11/SPO61CDVNB.DTL

It's common knowledge small market GMs (Cleveland's Mark Shapiro especially) work their plans out years in advance -- gamble by signing top prospects to multi-year deals -- hoping to time it to create one or two years of playoff contention. Now mix in how they have to plan for arbitration -- by actually keeping top prospects from playing at the major league level.

Wow.

Baseball... the game is a beautiful. How did the business side get so screwed up?