Every spring, sports agent Scott Boras gets on his soap box to yell at owners about holding back his talent from accumulating service time toward free agency. Boras wants his clients in the majors as fast as possible because that speeds up the clock on signing big money deals.
The CBA has many holding patterns clubs can use to stop the clock.
Boras is railing against the Cubs early announced plan to shelve his client, Kris Bryant, in Iowa at the beginning of this season from anywhere from three weeks to three months. If Bryant accumulates 172 service days in his first call up, then he can be a free agent one year earlier. If he does not, the Cubs effectively control his contract for an additional season (which projects to be near his peak production).
In addition, if when a stud young player hits his season season, he could earn an "early year" if he qualifies as a Super 2, in the top 22 percent of players between years 2 and 3 of club control.
An early arbitration hearing gives the player a salary boost, then raises the salary flow for future arbitrations or contract extensions.
Boras claims that the Cubs owe it to their fans to put the best team on the field from Day One. That best team would include Bryant. He is right in that assertion.
The Cubs counter by saying this is a business. Bryant is still just a prospect. He needs time to develop, even though he has crushed every level of minor league play. Bryant needs to work on better defense at third, or switch to learning LF which is best done in the minors. The Cubs have some valid development points they can make to hold back Bryant.
But sitting Bryant in the minors, based on ZiPS projections of a full season, could cost the Cubs at least 2 games. If the Cubs truly believe they can contend or win the NL Central, 2 games could be the difference between a championship and disappointment. But that is the risk that the Cubs are willing to take in order to hold onto Bryant for an extra year.
