Adbert Alzolay’s Option Status Could Dictate Cubs’ Pitching Decisions

It’s not quite the same as the service-time specter that’s been haunting baseball’s labor conversations for the past several years, but the unresolved grievance regarding minor league options will have a much more immediate impact. Because MLB doesn’t consider 2020 as a full season, the league has ruled that options from last year don’t count or just that teams essentially get another option on eligible players.

For the sake of clarifying that topic before moving on, a player has three minor league options after he has been placed on the 40-man roster. That means a team can send him to the minors over the course of three seasons — not necessarily a set number of times — without having to…