Danny Duffy reaches ten years of service time, and can now veto any trade

The Kansas City Royals are the only professional baseball team Danny Duffy has ever played for since he was drafted as a kid out of high school in California. He signed a five-year contract extension with them back in 2017 and has told fans “bury me a Royal.”

His perseverance after nearly walking away from the game as a minor leaguer has paid off with a championship ring and a solid MLB career. Today, Duffy reaches the ten-year service time threshold as a big leaguer, an important milestone for a few reasons.

First, it is a testament to Duffy’s longevity. He is one of just 19 players to spend at least ten seasons with the Royals.

Jarrod Dyson also hit the ten years of service time mark earlier last week, although he has not yet played ten years with the Royals.

Duffy reflected on his decade-long career so far with Taylor Davis.

“You realize how special it is every second that goes by. This walk of life, as to every walk of life, will have some tough spots and put you through some tough things and a lot of my battles were self-inflicted. So you learn the hard way, you learn on the go, and you become better for it.

And - gosh - with everything that’s gone on over the last year, it’s just a really special job that we get to go out and do. It’s like you’ve never worked a day in your life. This is my fifteenth season with this organization and I just appreciate every second that goes by more and more.”

Second, it means Duffy is fully vested in MLB’s pension program, which can pay him $68,000 annually if he draws early at age 45, or can pay him even more if he waits until he is 62.

And finally, it means that Danny Duffy now has 10-and-5 rights, meaning he can veto any trade. This is a right negotiated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that gives any player with ten years of service time - the last five of which are with the same team - the right to control where he is traded.

With Duffy in the last year of his contract and a potential candidate for this summer’s trade deadline, this could have big ramifications for what the Royals do this summer. Duffy has been very vocal about his desire to stay in Kansas City. But he could perhaps welcome a trade with the expectation that he’ll return on a deal with the Royals next season, a win-win situation that can give Duffy a shot at the playoffs, and give the Royals a young prospect that can improve their future. Duffy may have a desire to play in his native California, and the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres are all potential buyers at the deadline.

Whatever happens with Duffy, he has been a fun guy to root for, showing the kind of loyalty and love for the team that fans appreciate. For that, we salute you Danny, for ten years of MLB service time!