Clarification on Waiving ML Service Time for Winter Ball

[Wind Dancers]

We've had a few questions regarding Service Time in relation to Winter Ball and some INT FA's this year so I wanted to clarify the rule and how it affects different players. I will also copy this over to the forums in a post.

As per the constitution, to be eligible for Winter Ball, players must meet certain criteria. There has been some confusion around a few of these criteria for certain players:

• The player must have been in the Organization all season – no recent draftees or players acquired in a trade after PEBA Opening Day.
• Players drafted out of a college must have at least 1 year of professional service time. All other players must have at least 2 years of professional service time.
• Must not have more than 1 year of major league service time.

Anyone DRAFTED out of college must have 1 year of Pro Service Time while EVERYONE ELSE needs 2 years of pro service time. "EVERYONE ELSE" includes players drafted out of high school AND INT FA's that join the PEBA every offseason. So if you sign an INT Free Agent and immediately play them all season in PEBA, they would lose WB eligibility because they would hit 1 year of ML Service Time.

BUT, there is a set of exemptions that will allow certain players to waive the Major League Service Time rule:
EXCEPTIONS, Major league service time may be waived:
If the player spent time on the 60-day DL during their first year of major league service time and remained injured at the end of the winter meetings so long as the player has at least a “Normal” rating in both “Loyalty” and “Work Ethic”.
If the player was drafted, promoted to the major league roster, and accrued major league service time in the same season that they were drafted


Some PEBA examples:

Hartford SP Aaron Goater was drafted in 2037 and made his debut in the PEBA that same year. He was eligible to waive the Major League service time rule and go to WB after the 2038 season.

Crystal Lake OF Carl Burrough was an INT FA signing before the 2039 season and immediately played in the PEBA. As an INT FA, he is not eligible to waive his ML Service Time and therefore cannot go to WB. Had he, or any other INT FA, spent a season in the minors, he would still be on track for WB eligibility the offseason after.

TLDR: INT FA's can't waive ML service time for WB. Drafted players who debut in the PEBA in the same season can.

[Hitmen]

Thank you for posting Dylan! The good fight against Slack continues!

[Hitmen]

Just adding some updates to the conversation.

Michael - Hitmen
To further clarify, do these exceptions also stretch to the Special Coaching's 2 year rule? Or is that a separate area altogether? So say for a pitcher such as Goater who would have been available for Winter Ball (didn't end up going), would the add a pitch option be available, or only the general winter meeting options around pitching?

Mike - Borealis
I would say no, because the exemption is a year 1 exemption, allowing them to attend WB specifically. The Special Coaching has a two year requirement directly for all. It falls under the global 'WB' colloquial phrase, but is its own thing - though a player can only do one or the other, so in that sense, it's WB...