Roster Rules - The 40 man roster

Yesterday, I discussed the basics of the 25 man roster. Today, we'll go into the 40 man roster.

The 40 man roster is considered to be the protected roster.

Players on the 40 man roster include:

• All players on the 25 man roster
• All players on the 15 day disabled list
• Selected minor leaguers

Any minor leaguers which a team wishes to protect from the Rule 5 draft must be added to the 40 man roster by November 20th each year.  Only certain minor leaguers are required to be protected:

• If they signed their initial contract by the age of 18, after 5 seasons in the minor leagues
• If they signed their initial contract at age 19 or older, after 4 seasons in the minor leagues

Some other terms related to the 40 man roster:

Recalling a player - Moving a player already on the 40 man roster to the 25 man roster.
Purchasing a player's contract - Adding a player to the 25 man roster that has not been added to the 40 man roster. This player would also be automatically added to the 40 man roster as well.
Designated for Assignment - This is essentially a holding place for a player that is being removed from either the 25 man or 40 man roster. It gives the team 10 days to either trade the player, or put him on waivers.

Options - Once a player has been added to the 40 man roster, they can be freely moved between the minors and the majors for 3 different seasons following that. Some notes:

• If a player does not get sent down during a season, an option is not used. 
• If a player is sent down to the minors during spring training, an option is used.
  
• If a player uses all 3 of his options, he must be put on waivers, and clear in order to be sent to the minor leagues.
  

This roster is also used starting September 1st, and any player listed on the 40 man roster can be used in a game for the month of September. Players on the 40 man roster, but not on the 25 man roster on August 31st, are not eligible for postseason play.

The 40 man roster is probably the most important piece of information for a general manager. It helps protect players from other teams, allows them to draw on a base of players for their team, and can potentially be a financially driven item as well.


Sources:

Wikipedia
Brewerfan.Net