Even before the age of no-trade clauses, certain veteran players have had the ability to block deals that would send them to undesirable locations: 10 and 5 rights. According to recent reports, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips used his this past November to veto a trade to the Atlanta Braves.
As a quick refresher, 10 and 5 rights apply to players who have accrued at least 10 years of service time and been with their current team for at least five years. A player who falls into both of those categories has the right to block any trade (involving him) for any reason.
Phillips, who has accrued 12.022 years of service time and been a member of the Reds since 2006, earned his 10 and 5 rights two seasons ago and has used them liberally.
Last off-season, Phillips used his status as a 10-and-5 player to nix a deal that would have sent him to the Washington Nationals.
Though players often require some form of additional compensation to agree to trades, Phillips went all in. At the time, he used his veto power to demand an extension from the Nationals in exchange for waiving his no-trade rights. Given his age and declining performance, Washington (unsurprisingly) declined.
On paper, the Phillips’ repeated refusal to accept a trade seems a bit odd. In stopping the Nationals trade, he opted to remain with a cellar-dweller instead of moving to a legitimate World Series contender. In stopping the Braves trade, he opted to remain in Ohio rather than return to his native Georgia (and his Atlanta home).
Apparently, for Phillips, the situation is a “matter of principle.” Both he and the club have publicly stated that the Reds failed to live up to certain agreements (though what those agreements are was not mentioned).
If the Braves were to eventually add Phillips, he could help take some of the pressure off top prospect Ozzie Albies (who is widely expected to make his MLB debut in 2017). Currently, the team is set to enter the season with a platoon of Jace Peterson and Sean Rodriguez at second.
However, both Peterson and Rodriguez have extensive experience at other spots on the diamond, so the addition of Phillips wouldn’t necessarily create a logjam at the cornerstone.
Scott Ferris covers the Braves as a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @ScottHFerris
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