Ranking right up there with the balk rule, one of the least understood rules in baseball are those pertaining to player options. Each year the option rules determine the fate of many players. This year, several Mets players are out of options and may have a leg up making the major league team out of Spring Training. These include Manny Acosta, Pat Misch and Nick Evans.
In Major League Baseball, Rule 11 spells out how clubs are limited in how often they can send players back and forth to the minors. In a side note – in MLB Rules are designated with numbers, while Articles are designated with Roman Numerals. That’s why it is the Rule 5 Draft, not the Rule V Draft.
Here is a primer on Rule 11:
In general, a team may only keep a player in the minor leagues for three seasons after that player is added to the team’s 40-man roster. Each of those years is considered an “option year” or an “optional assignment.” Thus, in other words, a player is sa...
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