Option years

[uti-pontus-hage]

Hello,

First of all many thanks to this forum and many thanks to this wonderful game - it helped me a lot in 2018 when i decided to learn baseball from zero knowledge from an almost zero baseball culture (Sweden).
Started a thread back then under a different username asking for tips and tricks learn this wonderful sport. Soon to be six years later i can answer many questions i had back then and many of them with OOTP's help. Looking forward to the 2025 season!

I have a question regarding option years in OOTP. Have searched and have not find any good / solid answers (but surely they exist, somewhere).
If a player is on the 40-man roster, does that use one option year regardless if the player is in AAA and moved to MLB and then sent down again?
If a player on the 40-man roster is sent down during spring training / if a player on the 40-man roster is sent down when the regular season has started - does that make any differences when looking at option years?

Have been away from the game one version so maybe this was clear to me back then but probably i have never fully understood this (and i really like to have as much knowledge as possible).

Thanks in advance!

[Sweed]

Once a player is on the 40 man he will not use an option unless he is sent down. IE a player could come up for the first time, play 10 seasons in MLB, and if never sent down he would still have all three options at the end of those 10 years. Now years of service would let him refuse demotion if he so chose to, but the options would still be there.

As far as spring training goes, any player on the 40 man that is sent down during ST, or after in the regular season will use an option. That is because the 40 man roster in the offseason becomes the active roster, the 26 man roster only applies during the season. So a player on the 40 man is "active" and automatically on your ST roster even if he played the entire last season at AAA (or any minor league level). This also applies if he's never played a day at the MLB level. When ST ends and you send this player back to AAA he will use an option. Then on opening day the roster will revert to the in season 26 man roster, with the extra (up to) 14 slots on the 40 man, in effect, becoming a reserve roster.

Keep in mind you can invite players from your organization, that are not on the active roster (40 man during off season), to ST. These players will not use an option when you send them back down during or at the end of ST.

Hope that helps.

[uti-pontus-hage]

Very informative answer Sweed
I needed that explanation for it to click. It’s very logical. A good way to make sure teams can’t stack players and to ‘turn on the clock’ for individual players.
Many thanks!

[Bobfather]

Also there are max options per year. Mine are set to 4. Meaning if I have optioned a player 4 times during a season he has to stay on the 26 man roster the rest of the season regardless of option years. After the world series this will dial back to zero. You can see all option year info in the contract tab of a player.

[TheoCobb]

Originally Posted by Bobfather

Also there are max options per year. Mine are set to 4. Meaning if I have optioned a player 4 times during a season he has to stay on the 26 man roster the rest of the season regardless of option years. After the world series this will dial back to zero. You can see all option year info in the contract tab of a player.
First of all, thank you to the forum and this fantastic game for helping me learn baseball in 2018, starting from scratch. It's been nearly six years, and now I can answer questions I had back then, many with OOTP's help. As for your question on option years, sending a player down during spring training or the regular season both count as using an option year. My roommate had a tough term paper assignment and wasn’t confident about his writing skills. To support him, I introduced him to this https://academized.com/professional-term-paper-writers service, which connects students with professional term paper writers. The writer assigned to his paper did an incredible job, delivering a well-researched and comprehensive document. The feedback he received was overwhelmingly positive, and it boosted his academic performance significantly. It’s comforting to know there are services like this for students who need extra help.

You answered my question, thank you so much.

[twins_34]

Once you option someone in a year, you can bring them up and down as much as you like in that year without using another option via MLB rules. I am really unsure why OOTP has a limit for number of options in a season, but MLB rules are, as many as the parent clubs wants to do. If they do 15 in a year, they option that guy up and down 15 times. But once them 3 option years are used, of course then you must waive that player down to the minors and other teams, can try and claim them.

So yes, in OOTP there is a settable limit on how many times, you can do it in one year, but MLB rules, a parent team does not have an actual limit in a year. https://www.milb.com/altoona/team/tr...0option%20year. For the MLB website I got the info from.

So if you wanna play by actual MLB rules you would have to go under MLB>League Settings>Rules tab, and then near the bottom change max number of options in a season, to no limit.

[Edward ohare]

Originally Posted by twins_34

Once you option someone in a year, you can bring them up and down as much as you like in that year without using another option via MLB rules. I am really unsure why OOTP has a limit for number of options in a season, but MLB rules are, as many as the parent clubs wants to do. If they do 15 in a year, they option that guy up and down 15 times. But once them 3 option years are used, of course then you must waive that player down to the minors and other teams, can try and claim them.

So yes, in OOTP there is a settable limit on how many times, you can do it in one year, but MLB rules, a parent team does not have an actual limit in a year. https://www.milb.com/altoona/team/tr...0option%20year. For the MLB website I got the info from.

So if you wanna play by actual MLB rules you would have to go under MLB>League Settings>Rules tab, and then near the bottom change max number of options in a season, to no limit.

The reason OOTP provides a limit for options/year is that MLB has a limit of five options per year. Your source is incorrect.


From https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transac...league-options


"Players may only be optioned five times per season"


For the OP, I recommend not setting the limit in the software but adhering to the limit yourself. I think making a computer manager follow this rule handicaps it too much.

[Rain King]

The options per season limit was introduced in the 2022 CBA.

[Le Grande Orange]

Does OOTP still allow 1-day recalls or does it recreate the minimum 10/15 day stay which exists in real life (injury replacements excluded)?

[Rain King]

The minimum minor league stays have not been implemented.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Rain King

The minimum minor league stays have not been implemented.

That's what I thought. OOTP is 25 versions deep and yet it still hasn't recreated this important real-life limitation which is some 70 years old. It's a bit disappointing.

[Rain King]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

That's what I thought. OOTP is 25 versions deep and yet it still hasn't recreated this important real-life limitation which is some 70 years old. It's a bit disappointing.

AI roster logic is...complicated.

Forcing the AI to consider a rule like that (which is only necessary to prevent real life teams from exploiting players) is likely more trouble than it is worth.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Rain King

AI roster logic is...complicated.

Forcing the AI to consider a rule like that (which is only necessary to prevent real life teams from exploiting players) is likely more trouble than it is worth.

If they added it and did it so the AI was able to handle it properly I'd be all for it. Until then I'm not seeing it as a big deal. Online leagues could implement the rule if they want to. Solo players can do as they've always done, exploit it in the name of winning, or enforce the rule on themselves for a more challenging game.

[Brad K]

Originally Posted by Rain King

AI roster logic is...complicated.

Forcing the AI to consider a rule like that (which is only necessary to prevent real life teams from exploiting players) is likely more trouble than it is worth.

Yes. A computer manager has a tough enough time managing rosters without adding this complication. Better to first fix the problem of a computer manager having only one C on the active roster or insisting on having two 1B only players.

I am in favor of features that allow a computer manager to operate under easier conditions than a human manager. Back in the old days games commonly had a "help computer" and "help human" switch. Such a thing is useful for both experienced players and newbies.

[Rain King]

Originally Posted by Brad K

Better to first fix the problem of a computer manager having only one C on the active roster or insisting on having two 1B only players.

Is there a specific thread/bug report you can point to on this issue?

[Brad K]

It's existed so long I didn't make a report. I assume multiple other people have. Looks like no solution is available. Roster management is a tough thing. Anyway, I fix the problems myself by taking over a team temporarily and making some trades.

One interesting situation I encountered was a team short on position players due to carrying 13 pitchers in a 10 pitcher era. The computer manager couldn't make the call to get rid of some RPs who had no options left.

[Rain King]

If you see issues and want to be vocal about them in the forums in the hopes of getting them fixed, I would recommend the action of formally reporting them with as much detail as possible.

*Edit* - Also, if playing in a "10 pitcher era" my guess is this was a historical simulation which likely introduces additional circumstances such as limited players being available and should be specifically qualified in the initial commentary to provide full context.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Rain King

AI roster logic is...complicated.

Forcing the AI to consider a rule like that (which is only necessary to prevent real life teams from exploiting players) is likely more trouble than it is worth.

And yet the 5 options per season limit is recreated. How is that any less complicated than enforcing a 10-day minimum stay? It's a bit ridiculous to say the IRL is to prevent exploits and then turn around and let OOTP users do this exact exploit.

I'm sorry, but too many OOTP users are far too forgiving of this sort of core transaction rule omission. Excuses always get made. If the game was still young it might be understandable, but we're talking about a product which is 25 years old. For a.game at this level of maturity and development to still be lacking such core rule components is, in my view, unacceptable. The stay limitation should have been added years ago.

[Rain King]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

And yet the 5 options per season limit is recreated. How is that any less complicated than enforcing a 10-day minimum stay? It's a bit ridiculous to say the IRL is to prevent exploits and then turn around and let OOTP users do this exact exploit.

I'm sorry, but too many OOTP users are far too forgiving of this sort of core transaction rule omission. Excuses always get made. If the game was still young it might be understandable, but we're talking about a product which is 25 years old. For a.game at this level of maturity and development to still be lacking such core rule components is, in my view, unacceptable. The stay limitation should have been added years ago.

This has been brought up before, and I believe the developers themselves responded that the injury exception specifically made it much more complicated to implement than you seem to think (something that doesn't effect the 5 option limit logic).

Plus, what is the real benefit outside of having the exact rules as MLB? I get it that these nuances are your thing, but design decisions need to be made when programming Rules and this one just isn't very important...particularly not for the effort apparently needed.

I swear that this game having "almost" every potential option causes people to lose their minds about any little thing that is missing or doesn't work perfectly.

Advocate for your preferences, sure, but man I don't see why it is so hard not to be an ass about it (not meaning to single you or anyone specifically out there...just *waves hands generally at the forums*).

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

And yet the 5 options per season limit is recreated. How is that any less complicated than enforcing a 10-day minimum stay? It's a bit ridiculous to say the IRL is to prevent exploits and then turn around and let OOTP users do this exact exploit.

I'm sorry, but too many OOTP users are far too forgiving of this sort of core transaction rule omission. Excuses always get made. If the game was still young it might be understandable, but we're talking about a product which is 25 years old. For a.game at this level of maturity and development to still be lacking such core rule components is, in my view, unacceptable. The stay limitation should have been added years ago.

Is the AI handling the 5 option limit in a satisfactory way now? I know when introduced it caused some problems with players being released that probably shouldn't have been. I turned it off thinking it wasn't a good feature to use if the AI was having problems. Now if users have run tests and can confirm it now works as it should I may just turn it back on.