MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, along with the league's owners, offered a new proposal as part of the latest collective bargaining sessions that would create a limited free agent signing period. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
On Thursday, Major League Baseball made its latest proposal to the MLB Players ******* ociation for the next collective bargaining agreement. It would create an extreme shift in the free agent signing period, looking to mirror other sports by placing a strict limit on the window in which signings could take place.
As first reported by MLB.com, the five days after the World Series would still allow players and clubs to trigger or decline options. After that, free agents would be allowed to negotiate deals, but signings would only be allowed after 12 p.m. on the Monday of the first day of the Winter Meetings through December 21st. From Dec. 21st through the first Monday in February, no free agent signings or trades would be allowed. After the first Monday in February, free agent signings would then be allowed to resume.
It is not the first time that the league has sought to have a limited free agent signing period. The league proposed it as part of the negotiations of the current labor deal in place since 2021, and as recently as January, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed it on WFAN, touting it as a way to promote excitement.
"I think there's going to be some more conversation about it, because I do believe that there's a marketing opportunity," Manfred said. "Let's face it, we operate in a really competitive environment. Just put entertainment, generally, to one side — just sports, right? It's really competitive. And I think that you make a mistake, particularly during the offseason, when you don't take every advantage to push your sport out in front of your fans during that down period."
#allowed #Monday #signing
On Thursday, Major League Baseball made its latest proposal to the MLB Players ******* ociation for the next collective bargaining agreement. It would create an extreme shift in the free agent signing period, looking to mirror other sports by placing a strict limit on the window in which signings could take place.
As first reported by MLB.com, the five days after the World Series would still allow players and clubs to trigger or decline options. After that, free agents would be allowed to negotiate deals, but signings would only be allowed after 12 p.m. on the Monday of the first day of the Winter Meetings through December 21st. From Dec. 21st through the first Monday in February, no free agent signings or trades would be allowed. After the first Monday in February, free agent signings would then be allowed to resume.
It is not the first time that the league has sought to have a limited free agent signing period. The league proposed it as part of the negotiations of the current labor deal in place since 2021, and as recently as January, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed it on WFAN, touting it as a way to promote excitement.
"I think there's going to be some more conversation about it, because I do believe that there's a marketing opportunity," Manfred said. "Let's face it, we operate in a really competitive environment. Just put entertainment, generally, to one side — just sports, right? It's really competitive. And I think that you make a mistake, particularly during the offseason, when you don't take every advantage to push your sport out in front of your fans during that down period."
#allowed #Monday #signing
2 months ago
