One thing about Wang to remember: He carries an entire nation – his homeland – on his shoulders. He’s like Michael Jordan there.

If you send him down to AAA, he loses some serious face, and it could be crushing to him – even more so than just stinking up the joint in the majors.
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Shouldn’t be a factor or consideration. If Nomo & Igawa, two name but two popular pitchers can ply their trade in the minors, so can Wang

clintfsu813 wrote:

Anybody else bothered with Posada showing his public disapproval with being pulled in 9th yesterday? We won game, you’re 37 years old, and you killed us last year with your injury. Suck it up!

I’m more interested in how quick Girardi is pulling Jeter in all these blowouts. How’s he gonna beat Rose’s hit record that way?

Now I understand. Thanks.

After some digging, it seems that Lee passed through waivers unclaimed due to his having signed a three year deal the previous offseason.

Anybody else bothered with Posada showing his public disapproval with being pulled in 9th yesterday? We won game, you’re 37 years old, and you killed us last year with your injury. Suck it up!

Cliff Lee would have to qualify as a hell of an exception, considering that he had major league starts in 2002 and 2003 (also spent time in the minors); 2004, 2005 and 2006 were spent in the majors – never sent down – and in 2007, his SIXTH season he would have been on the 40 man roster, he was optioned down.

I stand corrected but its obvious these rules are a bit more complex, starting with why some players would have more than three option years, and how Lee was optioned in his sixth year of being on the 40 man roster and spending time in the majors.

Nope. You dont need to be sent down for an option year to be used. Here are the exact facts from Rob Neyer’s transaction primer.

“When you hear that a player is “out of options,” that means he’s been on the 40-man roster during three different seasons, beginning with his fourth as a pro, and to be sent down again he’ll have to clear waivers.”

Girardi has confirmed that Wang is out of options. Wang has been on the 40 man roster for four seasons beginning with his 4th as a pro, and is out of options. Cliff Lee may have been an exception in that some players have 4 option years, the parameters of which I am unsure about.

Once…according to Joe Girardi, you’re wrong.

From PeteAbe’s blog:

It’s reason to consider a demotion. That, though, is not possible according to Girardi. A team cannot send a player to the minors unless they have options or the player agrees and has at least five years of service. Wang has no options and hasn’t been in the majors long enough.

One thing about Wang to remember: He carries an entire nation – his homeland – on his shoulders. He’s like Michael Jordan there.

If you send him down to AAA, he loses some serious face, and it could be crushing to him – even more so than just stinking up the joint in the majors.

Are you saying that there have been three seasons he has been on the major league team and sent down to the minors? Because that is not the case. He’s been in the majors 2005-2009. He was called up in 2005. That’s one option year.

His only other appearances in the minors was a five inning start for Tampa in 2007. I’d assume that was a rehab start which would not count as an option year being used.

Even if that were to count as an option year, he’d have one more season in which he could be sent down without passing through waivers. And as HoF reports, only after five years service time can you decline being sent to the minors.

Let’s compare with Cliff Lee, since he’s another pitcher who had success, stopped having success, and was sent down. Lee made two starts in 2002 and 9 in 2003. 2004 – 2006 he made all his starts at the major league level. Of course, in 2002 and 2003, he spent a good amount of time in the minors – using two of his option years.

In 2007 he stunk and was optioned down to the minors, using his third and final option.

Based on Cliff Lee’s history, its quite obvious to me that you are wrong. Lee had three seasons in the majors, two seasons he spent time in both the majors and the minors. Then he was optioned down when his performance dropped so badly.

Wang has 1 season spent in both the majors and minors. His service time is no different than Lee’s was. I would bet that Wang in fact has two more option years though if it is true that five year’s service time wipes out any remaining options, then this is the last season the Yankees can send Wang down.

But its pretty obvious to me that he can be sent down.