Baseball: putting new draft picks on the 40 man roster...

digicat

I noticed that the Nationals put Bryce Harper on the 40 man roster immediatly after they signed him, even though they've said that he's still a few years out. Why would a team waste the roster space when the kid isn't going to be coming up any time soon?

lanemyer85

because they gave him a Major League contract...not a Minor League contract like 99.999% of all other draftees.

edit to add: under the Major League contract, had they not placed him on their 40 man roster, he'd be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.

digicat

<< <i> under the Major League contract, had they not placed him on their 40 man roster, he'd be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. >>



Ah, thanks. I didn't know the distinction between major and minor league contracts, so I did some reading to fill myself in.

Rule 5 only applies for guys who have been on the farm for 4 or more years w/o being on the 40 man. In a Major League contract, part of the contract is that the guy gets added to the 40 man and his option clock starts immediatly. With a minor league contract, the guy's option clock stays full until he's called up.