By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star
Updated: 2012-03-26T22:28:44Z
JOHN SLEEZER
Jose Mijares
Players still on camp roster
* – indicates player is not on 40-man roster
RHP Jonathan Broxton
LHP Francisley Bueno*
LHP Bruce Chen
RHP Louis Coleman
LHP Tim Collins
RHP Aaron Crow
LHP Danny Duffy
RHP Kelvin Herrera
RHP Luke Hochevar
RHP Greg Holland
LHP Tommy Hottovy*
RHP Jeremy Jeffress
RHP Luis Mendoza
LHP José Mijares
RHP Sean O’Sullivan
RHP Felipe Paulino
LHP Jonathan Sánchez
RHP Joakim Soria
LHP Everett Teaford
RHP Blake Wood
C Brayan Peña
C Salvy Perez (on 60-day disabled list)
C Manny Piña (on 60-day disabled list)
C Humberto Quintero
C Max Ramirez*
INF Yuniesky Betancourt
1B/DH Billy Butler
SS Alcides Escobar
2B Chris Getz
1B Eric Hosmer
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff*
3B Mike Moustakas
OF Jason Bourgeois
OF Lorenzo Cain
OF Jeff Francoeur
OF Alex Gordon
OF Mitch Maier
Players on 40-man roster with no options remaining
LHP Bruce Chen
RHP Luke Hochevar
OF Mitch Maier
RHP Luis Mendoza
LHP Jose Mijares
RHP Sean O’Sullivan
RHP Felipe Paulino
C Brayan Peña
C Humberto Quintero
Players on 40-man roster with options but at least five years of major-league service
(They have to option to reject the assignment or elect free agency. Termination pay depends on circumstances)
RHP Jonathan Broxton
LHP Jonathan Sánchez
RHP Joakim Soria
INF Yuniesky Betancourt
OF Jeff Francoeur
Players on minor-league contracts who have out clauses that permits them to become free agents if not on 25-man roster by a specific date.
INF Tony Abreu*: July 1
C Cody Clark*: May 1
INF Irving Falu*: June 15
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff: May 1
RHP Zach Miner*: May 15
* -- already reassigned to minor-league camp.
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- It’s that time of spring, as the Royals proved Sunday morning, when the roster cuts get tougher. So it’s an appropriate time to offer up another primer on the personnel rules that often weigh heavily in those decisions.
Navigating the world of options, outright assignments, reassignments, rights of refusal and the rest can be dizzying even to front-office personnel. But it is why, say, José Mijares rates a huge advantage over other lefties to win a job in the bullpen.“The opening day roster,” general manager Dayton Moore said, “is a blending of talent that gives you the best chance to compete and win early in the season. But you have to be cognizant of the entire 162-game schedule.“You need to keep as much inventory as possible.”Clubs generally place a heavy premium on inventory for a simple reason: Having more players offers more alternatives as other players get hurt or struggle during the season’s early weeks.“It would be reckless of us to discard a player,” Moore said, “knowing full well we’re probably going to need that individual at some point in the season – and maybe for the bulk of the season.”Take the situational lefty competition. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, the Royals only want to keep one and that Mijares, Tim Collins and Tommy Hottovy grade out even. (They might keep two, but let’s assume this scenario holds.)Mijares has a big advantage because he is already on the 40-man roster, is out of options and has sufficient service time to refuse an assignment to the minors (and become a free agent) even if he clears waivers.Collins is on the 40-man roster but has options remaining. That means he can be sent to the minors without clearing waivers — a process by which every other team has the opportunity to claim a player’s contract if they keep him in the majors.Hottovy has even less leverage. He is in camp as a non-roster invite on a minor-league contract. That means the Royals can merely reassign him to a minor-league club at their discretion.Further, the Royals currently have no openings on their 40-man roster, which means they must clear space to add Hottovy if they want to keep him on the club. That player who comes off the roster might easily be lost through a waiver claim.Conclusion: The Royals, if they keep only one situational lefty, are likely to lose Mijares if they choose to retain Collins or Hottovy. In short, Collins probably has to be significantly better than Mijares to win the job, and that goes double for Hottovy.Other looming decisions regarding the rotation and bullpen further highlight how options, service time and other issues come into play. Right-handers Felipe Paulino and Luis Mendoza are out of options. That means, like Mijares, they possess an enormous advantage in winning spots — on what projects as a 12-man staff — in the bullpen if not in the rotation.Inventory.It helps, of course, that Mendoza and Paulino are each pitching well. Or as Yost noted: “Luckily, the ones we have (roster issues with) are guys who can help us. It’s still tough, though.” Here are some key things to remember:Options. Players generally get three options in their professional career. An option means an optional assignment to the minor leagues for players on a club’s 40-man roster. Players generally have three options in their career — but one option covers an entire year. For example, pitcher Everett Teaford shuttled three times last year between the Royals and Class AAA Omaha. That was one option.Service clock. Players generally don’t have to be placed on a club’s 40-man roster for four or five years after signing their first pro contract. Going on the 40-man starts a player’s clock for service time and options. Clubs are hesitant to do that, especially with top prospects, until certain that player is ready for regular big-league duty. This was a bigger factor last season when the Royals faced that decision with Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and others.Super 2: The new labor agreement grants arbitration to the top 22 percent of players with at least two years but less than three years of major-league service. These players are called “super-2s,” a status that can amount to millions of dollars over time for top prospects. It’s also another reason clubs want to be sure a player is ready to be a legitimate contributor before adding him to the 40-man roster before required to do so.Minor-league contracts. Players in camp on minor-league contracts can simply be reassigned to the minors without clearing waivers. This generally applies to young players not on the 40-man roster (such as outfielder Wil Myers, who has already been sent down) or veterans who signed minor-league deals (such as pitcher Zach Miner, who is still in camp).Out clauses. Many veterans in camp on minor-league deals have out clauses in their contracts, which permit them to become free agents if not on the 25-man roster by a specific date. For example, third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff has a May 1 out clause. The catch is, if a player chooses to become a free agent, his salary stops.Outright assignments. A player who is out of options can be forced to accept an outright assignment to the minors once in his career if he clears waivers and has less than three years of major-league service. Pitcher Sean O’Sullivan has not been previously outrighted, but Mendoza has.There is more, but you get the idea. It’s not just a matter of taking the best 25 players unless they are clearly the 25 best players. If it’s close — close at all — lots of other factors come into play.“It’s important,” Moore said, “that we break camp with the best team possible — the team that gives us the best chance to win on opening day. But we also have to prepare for 162 games.“Injuries are a part of this game, and some players underachieve. When that happens, you’ve got to have the necessary depth to compete over 162 games. When you put your team together, you have to keep that in mind.”That means inventory.To reach Bob Dutton, call 816-234-4352 or send e-mail to bdutton@kcstar.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Royals_Report.
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