The intrepid folks at MLB Trade Rumors keep a keen eye on service time issues, as it's become one of the bigger subplots of the past few seasons. Players that are though to have long-term futures with their clubs are kept in the minors for the first few months of the season so that teams can get an extra year of their service time before they become free agents. While that may not have been the primary idea behind sending Jordan Lyles down to start the season, it definitely played a part in the thinking.
↵You'll be glad to know that because of the shenanigans, MLB Trade Rumors does think that Lyles will avoid "Super Two" status, meaning he'll only have three arbitration years and the Astros will have another year of him under team control:
↵↵↵Everything from the super two cutoff to the CBA to Lyles' development is subject to change, but here's what we know: if the rules stay the same, the cutoff falls where we expect it to and Lyles stays in the big leagues from here on, the Astros will have avoided super two status for the young righty and saved themselves millions in the process. That may not be Houston's intention - there's much more to player development than waiting until Memorial Day then calling up your top players - but at the very least it's a pleasant coincidence.
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Let me tell you, it's a lot easier to get excited about this knowing that Drayton McLane won't be pocketing the proceeds.
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