Major League Baseball proposed a dramatic change to its offseason free agency period on Thursday, Aug. 27. According to multiple reports, the major implication of the proposal was the institution of two moratoriums every offseason, designed to incentivize free agency activity around the annual Winter Meetings. Players and teams would still have five days after the conclusion of the World Series to trigger or decline contract options.
Then a "quiet period" would follow, ending 12 p.m. on the Monday of the Winter Meetings. Teams can still make trades, and players can re-sign with their former teams, during the quiet period. Free agents could only change teams beginning with the start of the Winter Meetings.
Then, from Dec. 21 until the first Monday in February, a "Frozen Period" would ensue in which "all transactions and contracts involving Major League players" would be prohibited from going into effect. Bruce Meyer, the interim head of the MLB Players' Association, said in a statement that the proposal "would eliminate Player rights by establishing an artificial free agency window, subject to a salary cap, which would reduce player leverage and create a game of musical chairs pitting player vs. player." More news: MLB, Players’ Union Trade Statements as CBA Negotiations Begin Still, the proposed offseason moratoriums would benefit some. Here's a quick look at the winners and losers of this element of the league's latest proposal: For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
