04-07-2012, 01:18 PM
It seems there's been an awful lot of questions regarding service time lately and how that playing into arbitration, compensation, and ability to sign long-term. So here it is.
First off, there are 187 days (+1 if there's a one-game playoff) in a full FCM season (April 1 to October 4). This could be different in other leagues. Mogul starts counting right after Spring Training is finished, even if no games are scheduled. Like how we usually have 4 or 5 days of nothing to open the month of April, it's still counted for service time.
However, not all 187 days count towards a player's service time. A player can only max out at 172 days per season. Once a player has reached 172 days his counting for that season is done. So if a player starts the year with 3.012 (3 years, 12 days) of service time, he'll max out at 4.012 service.
Service time is only counted for players on the 25-man roster. So roster expansion in September or players on the DL do not get service time counted. However, a September call-up placed on the 25-man roster would get service time counted for the sim.
Players are meant to have 6 years of team control. Usually you have 3 years at the minimum, then 3 more years of arbitration before the player is FA eligible. At times a player may be eligible for a 4th year of arbitration that replaces the 3rd minimum salary year, known as Super 2 Status (this will be explained later). Now that we've covered how service time racks up, let's look at how it works with different types of contracts.
From 0.000 service up to 2.142 service players are on a zero based contract. By zero based I mean they aren't guaranteed any amount and will make; $15K at R, $37.5K at AAA, or $500K at MLB.
Once a player has reached 2.143 service, he will be arbitration eligible. He will remain arbitration eligible through 5.171 service. Now most know that Mogul usually doesn't recognize players who should be arbitration eligible with 5.000-5.171 service. The exception is usually when a player has an edited contract after initially becoming arbitration eligible.
Why does a random 2.143 service start the arbitration clock? This is Mogul's attempt at Super 2 Status.
What? Previously (before the new CBA) Super 2 Status had been for players with at least two years of service, but not three years of service who rank in the top 17% of qualifying players. What this means in the real world is in different seasons, different thresholds could be Super 2 Status. So one season 2.140 service could be the cutoff while in another year it could be 2.136 service as the cutoff.
However, Mogul doesn't mess around with the calculations from year to year and uses a constant number. Since there are 172 days of service time counted in a season this means the top 17% would be 143 days (143/172= .83139...).
Tracking back a bit to players with 5.000 to 5.171 service. These players are eligible for the following; regular in-game arbitration (if allowed), 1.33 arbitration, or long-term extension. In-game arbitration would trump 1.33 arbitration. These are also not eligible for FA compensation.
Finally, once a player has exactly 6 years of service or more, he's FA eligible. With being FA eligible, the player is now eligible for FA compensation.
So there you have it! I've tried to be as thorough as possible and explain things fully, but if there's still questions reply below and I'll try to clarify the situation.
First off, there are 187 days (+1 if there's a one-game playoff) in a full FCM season (April 1 to October 4). This could be different in other leagues. Mogul starts counting right after Spring Training is finished, even if no games are scheduled. Like how we usually have 4 or 5 days of nothing to open the month of April, it's still counted for service time.
However, not all 187 days count towards a player's service time. A player can only max out at 172 days per season. Once a player has reached 172 days his counting for that season is done. So if a player starts the year with 3.012 (3 years, 12 days) of service time, he'll max out at 4.012 service.
Service time is only counted for players on the 25-man roster. So roster expansion in September or players on the DL do not get service time counted. However, a September call-up placed on the 25-man roster would get service time counted for the sim.
Players are meant to have 6 years of team control. Usually you have 3 years at the minimum, then 3 more years of arbitration before the player is FA eligible. At times a player may be eligible for a 4th year of arbitration that replaces the 3rd minimum salary year, known as Super 2 Status (this will be explained later). Now that we've covered how service time racks up, let's look at how it works with different types of contracts.
From 0.000 service up to 2.142 service players are on a zero based contract. By zero based I mean they aren't guaranteed any amount and will make; $15K at R, $37.5K at AAA, or $500K at MLB.
Once a player has reached 2.143 service, he will be arbitration eligible. He will remain arbitration eligible through 5.171 service. Now most know that Mogul usually doesn't recognize players who should be arbitration eligible with 5.000-5.171 service. The exception is usually when a player has an edited contract after initially becoming arbitration eligible.
Why does a random 2.143 service start the arbitration clock? This is Mogul's attempt at Super 2 Status.
What? Previously (before the new CBA) Super 2 Status had been for players with at least two years of service, but not three years of service who rank in the top 17% of qualifying players. What this means in the real world is in different seasons, different thresholds could be Super 2 Status. So one season 2.140 service could be the cutoff while in another year it could be 2.136 service as the cutoff.
However, Mogul doesn't mess around with the calculations from year to year and uses a constant number. Since there are 172 days of service time counted in a season this means the top 17% would be 143 days (143/172= .83139...).
Tracking back a bit to players with 5.000 to 5.171 service. These players are eligible for the following; regular in-game arbitration (if allowed), 1.33 arbitration, or long-term extension. In-game arbitration would trump 1.33 arbitration. These are also not eligible for FA compensation.
Finally, once a player has exactly 6 years of service or more, he's FA eligible. With being FA eligible, the player is now eligible for FA compensation.
So there you have it! I've tried to be as thorough as possible and explain things fully, but if there's still questions reply below and I'll try to clarify the situation.
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