Jackson Holliday reaching the majors when he is makes the Orioles “eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive"Getty Images
The Orioles are calling up top prospect 2B Jackson Holliday to the majors, dispelling rumors that the team was “manipulating his service time” by sending him back down to Triple-A after spring training, according to Jacob Meyer of the BALTIMORE SUN. The team could have kept Holliday in the minors through Friday and it would “likely gain another year of his services before he hits free agency.” Calling him up after Friday would have meant Holliday “would have been an Oriole for the vast majority of 2024, and by waiting, the club would have gained his 2030 season.” However, the move shows that “winning the next three games -- as well as the 149 after that -- was more important” (BALTIMORE SUN, 4/10). In Baltimore, Kyle Goon notes the Orioles calling Holliday up when they did is a “show of good faith from the front office that they’re not trying to hold Holliday back to keep him under team control.” It is “important to set the right tone for a long-term relationship” (BALTIMORE BANNER, 4/10).
NO REASON NOT TO CALL HIM UP: BASEBALL AMERICA's J.J. Cooper noted Holliday reaching the majors when he is makes the Orioles “eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive.” That means the team “will receive a bonus draft pick” if he wins the AL Rookie of the Year. A player “must reach 172 days of service to be eligible for PPI.” If he is activated in time for tonight’s game and “stays up for the remainder of the season, he will have 173 days of service.” Meanwhile, the current CBA disincentivizes teams “from manipulating service for elite prospects.” Anyone finishing in the top-two of Rookie of the Year voting “is awarded one year of MLB service, no matter when he was called up.” If Holliday would get a full year of MLB service under that scenario, the Orioles “would be best served to receive one year of MLB production” (BASEBALL AMERICA, 4/9).
