The Blue Jays were hoping for more out of Travis Snider this year, but his poor performance so far might be good for Toronto in the end. Snider was just demoted to Triple A and if he stays there until after the All-Star Break, he could end up under team control for an extra season. A month and a half in the minors could mean the Jays hold onto Snider for his age 27 season in 2015. Here's how it breaks down:
- If Snider had stayed with the Jays all year, he would likely have become arbitration-eligible after 2011, hitting free agency after 2014.
- If Snider has less than a full year's service time after 2009, he'll still become arbitration eligible after 2011, but it will be as a Super Two player.
- This would mean he'd go to arbitration four times instead of three. He'd remain under team control through 2015.
- So what would it take for Snider to get less than a year's service time? He already has 77 days of the required 172 under his belt, but if the Jays call him up after the All Star Break, he'd collect 80 more at most and remain shy of the full year.
The Jays expected a better showing from Snider, but his demotion could be good for the team. Here's the bottom line: If the Jays call Snider up after the All-Star Break he'll be shy of a full year's service time after 2009, become a Super Two player after 2011 and remain under team control for a year more than expceted, through 2015.
