For every great story of bringing home the prom queen, there's also a tale of a girl at home crying because you won't answer her calls or texts. This equal but opposite reaction also holds true in the world of major league baseball transactions, because with every player being called up to the major leagues in an attempt to fulfill his dreams, someone else must get demoted, most likely because of their shaky performance. The world of baseball roster juggling and major-league callups is about as complex as Obama's health care bill, and I attempted to explain it in a past article. In this piece, I will try to explain the options available to players when their organizations ask or force them to head back down to the minors. Try to stay awake.

When a player is taken off a major-league team's active roster, they are either given an optional assignment, an outright assignment, or just handed their good old fashioned release. If a player is given an optional assignment, it means that he is being sent to the minors, but could be called back up to the big leagues later in the season, as he will remain on the team's 40-man roster. This can be done during the first three years of a player's career without consequence. An outright assignment takes a player off the 40-man roster completely, meaning he likely has no chance that season of seeing the field in a major league game with that particular team. This would be akin to getting kicked between the legs. If the outright assignment is like getting kicked in the jewels, then getting released is analagous to getting your wallet and dignity stolen.

Seniority counts when talking about players moving up and down the professional baseball ranks, as the longer you have played at the professional level, the more say you have over where you may end up if your big-league club tries to demote you. During your first three years of major-league service, the team can option you between levels at their will. When you read/hear that a player has been optioned, it means that they are within their first three years of service and are basically at the mercy of their parent club. This has been the case for the Reds' organization this year in dealing with Josh Roenicke, Drew Sutton, and Adam Rosales, as each have experienced somewhat of a revolving door between Louisville and Cincinnati.

Much like a relationship, however, the stakes are raised once a player and team have been together for three years. If a player is taken off a major-league team's 25-man roster and has three years of experience at the big-league level, he must clear waivers before reporting to the minor leagues. This basically puts him on the market for any other major league organization to potentially sign, so clubs are more apt to try and trade a player if he is deemed valuable than try and send him down to the minors.

Once a player accrues five years of major league time, he earns the right to refuse assignment, which essentially allows him to flash his middle finger to an organization that tells him he's not cut out for the big leagues. This gives the player the power to become a free agent and pursue opportunities with another team. Even if a five-year veteran accepts assingment, however, he still must clear waivers, meaning that another team can pluck him if they desire before he heads to triple-A. Confused yet? I am. Can anyone out there further enlighten us? Hopefully Theo Epstein or Walt Jocketty will leave a comment.

For more info: How does the major-league call-up work?, Bats recent success