What Arbitration and Service Time Means To You

As with the prospect development, service time and how arbitration is figured out is a mystery to most. But I can tell you it's not a mystery at all.

There are 186 or 187 days in our MLB regular season. The either or depends on when the season ends (October 3 or October 4). If there is a play-in game for the playoffs, that day will count as well. However, a player can only amass 172 days of service time per season. I cannot explain why this is, you just have to accept it. It's actually how the real MLB does it.

This is about where Mogul trails off from reality. In Mogul, DL time does not count towards service time like it should in real life. Note that placing a prospect on the DL will have them making the prorated portion of the MLB  while they're on the DL. Some feel that placing prospects on the DL helps save development, but I have never seen enough to warrant paying prospects the MLB minimum.

Per the real world MLB back in 2010 (since that's the time frame of our software) players were eligible for arbitration once they had at least three years of service time or if they had more than two years service time and ranked in the top 17% of players with less than three years service time. You may have heard the term "Super 2". This is what it's talking about, a player who gets four arbitration years.

Mogul does not calculate all of this out. On Mogul 2 years, 143 days of service time will make the player eligible for arbitration. [ 143 / 172 = 83%], meaning anyone with 2.143 to 2.171 service will theoretically fall into the "top 17%".

This is something I watch all the time. Being able to delay a player's arbitration clock can save you money and keep your team going stronger for longer into the future. If you want to know what is the height of where a player can reach service time wise for the current season, check out the opening day file and add a year to the player's service time.

If you do not call a player up until after Sim #3, he would be on pace to accumulate 142 days of service time that season. However, remember if there's a tiebreaker game for the playoffs it will count against service for those who haven't reached 172 days in the current. This will put said at 143 days and on pace to become arbitration eligible after another two seasons, instead of three seasons. Waiting until after Sim #4 (the draft) will guarantee you to be safe from having to dish out four arbitration years.

As most know, Mogul screws up the final year of arbitration. Players are supposed to be eligible for another arbitration year from 5.000 to 5.171 service. However Mogul doesn't recognize this. This is where our famous "1.33 rule" comes in play. It's our attempt at reality and to give teams the chance to offer players arbitration at 1.33 times the amount of their previous arbitration salary. Though remember, you can sign players with 5.000+ service to long-term deals as well. Once a player has reached 6.000 service time, he is free agent eligible and no longer eligible for arbitration.

So the important numbers to remember are:

186-188 days in our regular season that can count against service time

172 days are the max a player can accumulate in a season

2 years, 143 days is the moment a player will start being eligible for arbitration

5 years, 0 days to 5 years, 171 days is the time frame where Mogul usually screws up arbitration (1.33 rule)

6 years, 0 days is the moment a player will become free agent eligible