In the waning days of spring training, Royals general manager Dayton Moore gathered a group of reporters in the office in Surprise, Ariz., and cracked a joke about pitcher Brian Flynn, the burly 6-foot-7 right-hander from Oklahoma the Royals had acquired from the Marlins for Aaron Crow after the 2014 season.
Flynn was out of options, so the Royals’ only choice was to carry him on the 25-man roster or expose him to waivers. Most players get three minor-league options on their contract, allowing their club to shuttle them back and forth without subjecting them to waivers.
But Flynn, injured so often in his tenure with the Royals, was afforded another by a quirk in the rules: If a player misses an entire option year due to injury or expends his third option year before he has completed five professional seasons, he can receive a fourth option.