Atlanta Braves: CBA limits club options for dealing with Marcell Ozuna

The Atlanta Braves still pay

The new CBA formalized the 2015 agreement as attachment 52. Once the commissioner is notified of the offense, he may place the player on administrative leave for up to seven days and request an extension of seven days from the Player’s Association for a total of 14 days; administrative leave is not considered a disciplinary action.

While on Administrative Leave, the player:

• Continues to receive salary
• Continues to accrue Major League service time
• Is added to the Major League Restricted List as it relates to the 40-man roster – the Atlanta Braves may fill the roster spot but would continue to pay Ozuna.

The Commissioner’s Office may also choose to defer Administrative Leave until the Player is charged or the Commissioner’s Office receives credible information corroborating the allegations.

Once the player’s  Administrative Leave and any extension are complete, the Commissioner may:

• Reinstate the Player from the Restricted List,
• Impose immediate discipline on the Player,
• Request another extension of Administrative Leave from the MLBPA,
• Defer a disciplinary determination until a later date, or
• Impose a paid suspension pending res­olution of legal proceedings

Impact of CBA restrictions

As far as I can determine, the Commissioner is deferring Administrative Leave for now. The official Atlanta Braves roster page continues to list Ozuna on the ten-day IL.

The wording of the CBA is specific; once the Administrative Leave period ends, the Commissioner must make a final decision. Starting the Administrative Leave clock forces MLB to decide before the legal situation takes its course.

Deferring Administrative Leave doesn’t affect the Atlanta Braves position; the club pays him on Administrative Leave or the IL. If they need the roster slot, they can move him to the 60-day IL.