I think it is 5 years before a player has to give consent to be optioned. Service-time landmarks 3 years A player with at least 3 years of Major League service is eligible for arbitration. (Eligibility for arbitration also is extended to players just shy of 3 full years of service. See Super Two.) In addition, a 3-year player may not be removed from the 40-man roster without his permission. The player may choose to be released immediately or at the end of the season. 5 years A player with at least 5 years of Major League service may not be demoted to the minor leagues on optional assignment without his consent. A 5-year player who refuses an optional assignment to the minors must be offered his release. A player with 5 years of service who has been traded in the middle of a multi-year contract may, during the off-season, require his new team to either trade him or let him become a free agent. If the player is eventually traded, he's not eligible to demand a trade again under the current contract and loses free agency rights for 3 years. However, the 2007-11 CBA eliminated this right for players signing multi-year contracts under the new CBA. Players signed to multi-year deals before the effective date of the 2007-11 CBA retain the right to demand a trade if traded during the life of their current contracts. 6 years A player with at least 6 years of service is eligible for free agency. 10 years A player with at least 10 years of service may not be traded or assigned without his consent, provided the player has spent the last 5 years with his current team.