What Does Purchased Contract Mean?

[BKL]

I noticed that in many cases the AI "purchases" contract when moving a player from a lower minor league to a higher minor league. However, when demoting a player it's called "optioned."

What does it mean to purchase contract to AAA ball, etc.? I thought this would be more like a promotion and these player's contracts where already "owned" by my team.

Brian

[battists]

Ping: Le Grande Orange

[battists]

I am by no means an expert, but I just found this on Wikipedia:

"In the United States and Canada, Minor League Baseball teams operate under strict franchise contracts with their major league counterparts. Although the vast majority of such teams are privately owned and are therefore able to switch affiliation, those players under contract with the affiliated Major League Baseball team are under their exclusive control, and would move to the MLB club's new affiliate. Not all players on a minor league team are under contract with the MLB club; however, the parent club has the exclusive right to "purchase" the contract of a non-contract player at its affiliate."

Not sure if that helps, but my guess is that in the context of OOTP, if the player is on a minor league contract, then you "purchase the contract" in order to bring them to the big leagues. They then get a big league contract, and even if you "option" them back to the minors, they now have a major league contract, so if you brought them back up again, you would be "promoting them"...

Someone else will jump in with better info I am sure.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by battists

Ping: Le Grande Orange

^ This. LGO is the man when it comes to the rules.

[Le Grande Orange]

Here are the transaction terms you'll come across in real life. Some of these terms are used interchangeably in the game and real life (e.g. called up/promoted/recalled). I've advocated that, for the purposes of clarity in reading the transactions and understanding exactly what roster move has transpired, the strict definitions below should be used in OOTP.

• Purchasing or selecting a contract: the player is added to the major league club's 40-man roster.
• Outrighting a player: the player is removed from the major league club's 40-man roster and is assigned outright to a minor league club (in order for the assignment to be completed the player must first clear waivers).
• Optioning a player: the player is removed from the major league club's 25-man active roster and is added to an affiliated minor league club's active roster. The player remains on the major league club's 40-man roster. A player on such optional assignment can be brought back to the major league club's 25-man active roster at any time (barring a few technical restrictions).
• Calling up a player: a player on the major league club's 40-man roster is placed on its 25-man active roster for the first time.
• Recalling a player: a player on optional assignment to the minor leagues is brought back to the major league club's 25-man active roster.
• Promoting a player: a player is moved from a lower minor league classification club to a higher classification club.
• Demoting a player: a player is moved from a higher classification minor league club to a lower classification club.

[BKL]

Thank you!

[Mike45]

i always thought those guys had the "minor league w/ major league option if called up" contracts. thus it was purchased when they were called up to the MLB team.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Mike45

i always thought those guys had the "minor league w/ major league option if called up" contracts. thus it was purchased when they were called up to the MLB team.

Strictly speaking, the players in a major league club's minor league organization are under contract to that major league club. However, only players on the 40-man roster of the major league club have major league contracts (and have all the rights and protections accorded a major league player under the relevant CBA).

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

Here are the transaction terms you'll come across in real life. Some of these terms are used interchangeably in the game and real life (e.g. called up/promoted/recalled). I've advocated that, for the purposes of clarity in reading the transactions and understanding exactly what roster move has transpired, the strict definitions below should be used in OOTP.

• Purchasing or selecting a contract: the player is added to the major league club's 40-man roster.
• Outrighting a player: the player is removed from the major league club's 40-man roster and is assigned outright to a minor league club (in order for the assignment to be completed the player must first clear waivers).
• Optioning a player: the player is removed from the major league club's 25-man active roster and is added to an affiliated minor league club's active roster. The player remains on the major league club's 40-man roster. A player on such optional assignment can be brought back to the major league club's 25-man active roster at any time (barring a few technical restrictions).
• Calling up a player: a player on the major league club's 40-man roster is placed on its 25-man active roster for the first time.
• Recalling a player: a player on optional assignment to the minor leagues is brought back to the major league club's 25-man active roster.
• Promoting a player: a player is moved from a lower minor league classification club to a higher classification club.
• Demoting a player: a player is moved from a higher classification minor league club to a lower classification club.

LGO, if you ever plan to leave these forums, you are REQUIRED to find and recruit your replacement who has similar breadth of knowledge in these matters. Um . . . say, how you feeling lately? You OK? Because, I dunno, you may want to start lining somebody up now just in case. You get my drift?

[Déjà Bru]

See, this is what I do. I will copy and paste a valuable blurb like that into a text file - see below - and store it in my OOTPB Resources folder.

Then, when somebody asks this question again, I can retrieve it and post it, thereby appearing to be the originator of this knowledge and basking in resulting glory!

No, no, not really. I never record from where and whom such tidbits come from (I really should, but 10 years from now, when I look into the file and see "posted by Le Grande Orange" on such-and-such a date, I am going to say "Who in the heck was that?" unless of course he and I are still here in ten years . . . )

But I never take credit for the stuff I collect and re-post. I always attribute it in general to the members of these great forums.

[battists]

Would be cool if this sort of stuff got into the wiki...

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by battists

Would be cool if this sort of stuff got into the wiki...

Yes, good idea. I am going over there now to post that information with the by-line of "Déjà Bru"!

Just kidding.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

... when I look into the file and see "posted by Le Grande Orange" on such-and-such a date, I am going to say "Who in the heck was that?" ...

I say that now when I read my own posts! "Who the heck is that guy?"

[RchW]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

See, this is what I do. I will copy and paste a valuable blurb like that into a text file - see below - and store it in my OOTPB Resources folder.

Then, when somebody asks this question again, I can retrieve it and post it, thereby appearing to be the originator of this knowledge and basking in resulting glory!

No, no, not really. I never record from where and whom such tidbits come from (I really should, but 10 years from now, when I look into the file and see "posted by Le Grande Orange" on such-and-such a date, I am going to say "Who in the heck was that?" unless of course he and I are still here in ten years . . . )

But I never take credit for the stuff I collect and re-post. I always attribute it in general to the members of these great forums.

Geez Bru I'm getting cavities just reading this syrup.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by RchW

Geez Bru I'm getting cavities just reading this syrup.

Well, it's true! See below for where I just stored what LGO talked about. And I really don't take credit for it when I regurgitate it here. And do you not agree with me that these are great forums?

[Mike45]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

Strictly speaking, the players in a major league club's minor league organization are under contract to that major league club. However, only players on the 40-man roster of the major league club have major league contracts (and have all the rights and protections accorded a major league player under the relevant CBA).

Apply for a job with the Mets front office...you definitely know more than those $hitheads

[Biggio509]

A historical footnote to LGO's explanation. All of these terms come from prior to when the minor league clubs were owned by major league teams. Prior to the 1930's minor league clubs were independent for the most part. The transactions were more like European football. Even in the 1930's when clubs were buying farm teams, the major league club did not own the contracts. The two clubs were owned by the same people though so owners could move players between clubs at will. The formal buying and selling of contracts still had to happen because they were in essence two different teams and two different businesses. Today the minor league system is consolidated. The MLB club owns players contracts and in essences loans players to an affiliate who maintains the stadium and gets any profit from ticket and merchandise sales.

Today, the terms still exist from when the minor league league club owned the contract. That is why when a player is moved to the majors his contract is purchased. Prior to the modern system they actually bought the contract from a minor league team. Today it is just a term because the major league team owns the contracts and provides players to its affiliate club who maintains the stadium and gets ticket and marketing revenue. So it is an antiquated term that really does not accurately describe what happens today.

Options back before the modern system were sale/buy back contracts. So if a major league club wanted a promising young player who wasn't read they would give him a contract. They would then sell them to a minor league club with the "option" to buy them back at any time. Again this doesn't fit what happens today but the old term exists. In the early 1900's rules for these option contracts were created and the term was never changed. The term option has survived even if there is no such thing as a team selling a player to a minor club with the option to repurchase the contract.

The terms make a lot of sense in the historical context when independent minor league teams owned the contracts but not really in today's setting where the MLB club owns the contracts and allows an affiliate the rights to use a player. Still these terms have been in the rules for over a century without anyone changing them. It is kind of like states never pulling laws for how many horses can be tied to a public post from the books. The rest of the terms are modern and have been in use only since the MLB clubs have owned all minor league player contracts.

[Assos]

Also, you have to remember that some minor league ball clubs are not owned by their big league teams, hence why you saw the Mets lose the Tides and wind up in Vegas and there are still independent leagues where a player would have to purchased by the MLB team and some low A teams have the right to sign players on a whim and might be subject to MLB team buying the player.
In the 1950s, the old PCL was the last truly independent league, almost a AAAA league and alot of players were bought and sold from there. We also have a lot of American teams that now sell players to the Korean and Tawianese leagues, Japanese league too, I believe.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by Assos

Also, you have to remember that some minor league ball clubs are not owned by their big league teams, hence why you saw the Mets lose the Tides and wind up in Vegas and there are still independent leagues where a player would have to purchased by the MLB team and some low A teams have the right to sign players on a whim and might be subject to MLB team buying the player.
In the 1950s, the old PCL was the last truly independent league, almost a AAAA league and alot of players were bought and sold from there. We also have a lot of American teams that now sell players to the Korean and Tawianese leagues, Japanese league too, I believe.

The Tides had nothing to do with the Mets going to Vegas. Buffalo refused to re-sign with the Mets and the Jays had a better deal for Buffalo. The Mets had few options other than Las Vegas. Same thing happened some years ago when Syracuse tossed the Jays.

[Assos]

I forgot about Buffalo in the between Norfolfk and Vegas. The first reshuffle.