One of the reasons for not promoting Orioles rookie catcher Matt Wieters at the beginning of the season was to guarantee that he would not become a free agent until after the 2015 season.
If he had been with the club Opening Day and stayed in the majors from that point forward, he would have had enough service time to be eligible for free agency after 2014 - his sixth full season.
Once 12 days of the major league season passed with Wieters in the minors this year, the possibility of his being a free agent in 2014 expired.
Another financial hurdle that was of some concern to the Orioles was Wieters' arbitration eligibility. Most players aren't eligible for arbitration until after three years of big league service. They then can go to arbitration after years three, four and five and be eligible for free agency after six years of service time.
Some players, however, can achieve Super 2 status, meaning they can go to arbitration four times, including before they achieve three years of service time.
It is dependent on a formula that allows select players with at least two, but less than three, years of service time to have arbitration eligibility. Those with the top 17 percent of service time in that qualifying group are eligible - but who falls into that designation in Wieters' class won't be known until the fall of 2011.
The defining date is usually around Memorial Day of the first season, but since it varies from year to year, club president Andy MacPhail said it wasn't a deciding factor in Wieters' promotion.
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