Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco allege their service time was intentionally manipulated during their rookie seasons in order to delay their free-agent eligibility by a year, according to a report by Yahoo Sports. The two filed grievances against their respective clubs earlier this year,
Neither case has been heard by an arbitration panel, the report said, and it's possible they may never get to that point.
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Nonetheless, the grievances demonstrate a belief by players that teams have not operated in good faith under MLB's collective bargaining agreement, which could be a point of contention during labor negotiations next winter.
Bryant, the National League Rookie of the Year, filed his grievance in April, according to Yahoo, when he was demoted to Triple-A before opening day despite leading the majors with nine spring training home runs. MLB's policy defines a full year of service as 172 days. Bryant finished the season with 171 days, pushing back his eligibility for free agency until 2021 instead of 2020.
At the time, the Cubs said Bryant was sent down to hone his fielding ability, leading to controversy over the club's intentions and prompting the MLB Players Association to say, "Today is a bad day for baseball."
Bryant was promoted April 17 after an injury to opening day third baseman Mike Olt and proceeded to play in 151 of the Cubs’ final 154 games, hitting .275/.369/.488 with 26 home runs and 99 RBIs. Missing the Cubs' first eight games likely cost Bryant a 100-RBI season.
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Franco, who at 23 is the same age as Bryant, had a similar experience in Philadelphia. He debuted in September 2014, playing in 16 games, but started the 2015 season in Triple-A. He was bypassed for recall on May 12 when the Phillies sent third baseman Cody Asche to the minor leagues, instead arriving three days later on May 15.
Franco finished the season with 170 days of service. He batted .280/.343/.497 with 14 home runs in 304 at-bats, playing mostly as the Phillies' everyday third baseman.
Neither the Cubs nor Phillies responded to requests for comment by Yahoo.
The report said other players — Astros outfielder George Springer and Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco — also considered filing grievances over similar situations in 2014, but eventually decided otherwise.
