Posted by tecwrg on 1/10/2011 4:57:00 PM (view original):
If he's currently on an expiring ML contract, then yes. All other information is irrelevant.
I'm nearly certain that I've had really old pitchers who were technically on ML contracts and ended up clearing waivers and being sent to the minors to eat innings, who then ended up not retiring by instead sticking around as minor leaguers.
Your response is also way too broad, as IFA with expiring ML contracts remain in the minor leagues all the time.
Finally, here's the argument for his not being a FA -
Minor league FA are treated differently than ML FA. With minor leaguers, you can avoid FA indefinitely, even after 6 years, merely by keeping them on the 40-man roster. This player is now a minor leaguer, so conceivably keeping him on the 40-man could work the same way.