Major League Baseball free agency is an important moment of a player’s movement within the league. It happens when a player's contract expires and they become eligible to negotiate and sign a new deal with any team in the league. The free agency period usually begins after the World Series and lasts for several months. This system gives free rein to the player to explore opportunities with different teams and negotiate contracts.
The concept of Free Agency in MLB started in 1972 and has since helped players guide their careers in a way that is both wanted by them and beneficial to them. With free agency, even teams are able to select free agents that would be a perfect fit for their organizations.
Major League Baseball Free Agency History
The start of free agency in Major League Baseball can be traced back to the landmark Flood v. Kuhn Supreme Court case in 1972. The case was the reason for the dismantling of the longstanding "reserve clause" that had restricted players' options that existed in the MLB before. This decision led to the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement on July 12, 1976. A new era for free agency began which provided players with increased flexibility and choice.
Before the 2012 season, the free agents were classified into three different categories. These were Type A, Type B, or unclassified. The Type A, Type B and Type C were determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Type A were the top 20% of the players which was determined by the previous two seasons. Type B were those free agents who were the next 20% and unclassified were in the bottom 60% of players.
Since the 2012 season, any player with six or more years of major-league service automatically became a free agent. This allowed teams the option to offer arbitration salaries for draft pick compensation. But if a player gets traded in the last season of their contract, the team acquiring them won't be eligible for draft pick compensation. These changes were made to make free agency smoother and encourage more player movement in the league.
MLB Free Agents 2023
Here’s a list of Free Agents of 2023 from the Major Leagues:
| TOTALS | 107 | $1,926,800,000 | $18,007,477 | ||||||
| AVERAGE | 1.98 | $35,681,481 | $18,007,477 | ||||||
| PLAYER (54) | POS. | AGE | BATS | THROWS | FROM | TO | YRS | DOLLARS | AVERAGE SALARY |
| Shohei Ohtani QO | SP | 29.4 | L | R | LAA | LAD | 10 | $700,000,000 | $70,000,000 |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | SP | 25.3 | R | R | LAD | 12 | $325,000,000 | $27,083,333 | |
| Aaron Nola QO | SP | 30.4 | R | R | PHI | PHI | 7 | $172,000,000 | $24,571,429 |
| Jung-hoo Lee | OF | 25.2 | L | R | SF | 6 | $113,000,000 | $18,833,333 | |
| Eduardo Rodriguez | SP | 30.7 | L | L | DET | ARI | 4 | $80,000,000 | $20,000,000 |
| Sonny Gray QO | SP | 34 | R | R | MIN | STL | 3 | $75,000,000 | $25,000,000 |
| Seth Lugo | SP | 34 | R | R | SD | KC | 3 | $45,000,000 | $15,000,000 |
| Jeimer Candelario | 3B | 30 | R | CHC | CIN | 3 | $45,000,000 | $15,000,000 | |
| Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | OF | 30.2 | R | R | ARI | ARI | 3 | $42,000,000 | $14,000,000 |
| Michael Wacha | SP | 32.4 | R | R | SD | KC | 2 | $32,000,000 | $16,000,000 |
| Reynaldo López | RP | 29.8 | R | R | CLE | ATL | 3 | $30,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
| Nick Martinez | RP | 33.2 | L | R | SD | CIN | 2 | $26,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| Kenta Maeda | SP | 35.6 | R | R | MIN | DET | 2 | $24,000,000 | $12,000,000 |
| Tyler Mahle | SP | 29.2 | R | R | MIN | TEX | 2 | $22,000,000 | $11,000,000 |
| Emilio Pagan | RP | 32.5 | L | R | MIN | CIN | 2 | $16,000,000 | $8,000,000 |
| Jack Flaherty | SP | 28.1 | R | R | BAL | DET | 1 | $14,000,000 | $14,000,000 |
| Hunter Renfroe | RF | 31.8 | R | R | CIN | KC | 2 | $13,000,000 | $6,500,000 |
| Luis Severino | SP | 29.8 | R | R | NYY | NYM | 1 | $13,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| Kyle Gibson | SP | 36 | R | R | BAL | STL | 1 | $13,000,000 | $13,000,000 |
| Victor Caratini | C | 30.2 | R | MIL | HOU | 2 | $12,000,000 | $6,000,000 | |
| Lance Lynn | SP | 36.5 | R | LAD | STL | 1 | $11,000,000 | $11,000,000 | |
| Jason Heyward | RF | 34.2 | L | L | LAD | LAD | 1 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 |
| Wade Miley | SP | 37 | L | L | MIL | MIL | 1 | $8,500,000 | $8,500,000 |
| Tom Murphy | C | 32.7 | R | R | SEA | SF | 2 | $8,250,000 | $4,125,000 |
| Martin Perez | SP | 32.7 | L | L | TEX | PIT | 1 | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 |
| Chris Stratton | RP | 33.2 | R | R | TEX | KC | 2 | $8,000,000 | $4,000,000 |
| Joe Kelly | RP | 35.4 | R | R | LAD | LAD | 1 | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 |
| Andrew McCutchen | RF | 37.2 | R | R | PIT | PIT | 1 | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Will Smith | RP | 34.4 | R | L | TEX | KC | 1 | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 |
| Andrew Chafin | RP | 33.4 | R | L | MIL | DET | 1 | $4,750,000 | $4,750,000 |
| Kirby Yates | RP | 36.7 | L | R | ATL | TEX | 1 | $4,500,000 | $4,500,000 |
| Luis Garcia | RP | 36.8 | R | R | SD | LAA | 1 | $4,250,000 | $4,250,000 |
| Austin Hedges | C | 31.2 | R | R | TEX | CLE | 1 | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 |
| Rowdy Tellez | 1B | 28.7 | L | L | MIL | PIT | 1 | $3,200,000 | $3,200,000 |
| Dylan Floro | RP | 32.9 | L | R | MIN | WSH | 1 | $2,250,000 | $2,250,000 |
| Jorge Lopez | RP | 30.8 | R | R | BAL | NYM | 1 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Nick Senzel | CF | 28.4 | R | R | CIN | WSH | 1 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Joey Wendle | 3B | 33.6 | L | R | MIA | NYM | 1 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Garrett Hampson | SS | 29.1 | R | R | MIA | KC | 1 | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| Joe Ross | SP | 30.5 | R | R | SF | MIL | 1 | $1,750,000 | $1,750,000 |
| Paul DeJong | SS | 30.2 | R | R | SF | CHW | 1 | $1,750,000 | $1,750,000 |
| Adam Cimber | RP | 33.2 | R | R | TOR | LAA | 1 | $1,650,000 | $1,650,000 |
| Trevor Gott | RP | 31.2 | R | R | NYM | OAK | 1 | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Chris Devenski | RP | 33 | R | R | TB | TB | 1 | $1,100,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Cooper Criswell | RP | 27.3 | R | R | TB | BOS | 1 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Michael Tonkin | RP | 34 | R | R | ATL | NYM | 1 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Adam Kolarek | RP | 34.8 | L | L | ATL | LAA | 1 | $900,000 | $900,000 |
| Ricky Vanasco | SP | 25.1 | R | R | LAD | LAD | 1 | $900,000 | $900,000 |
| Austin Adams | RP | 32.5 | R | R | ARI | NYM | 1 | $800,000 | $800,000 |
| Ben Lively | SP | 31.8 | R | R | CIN | CLE | 1 | $750,000 | $750,000 |
| Eric Haase | C | 31 | R | R | CLE | MIL | 1 | - | - |
| Angel Perdomo | RP | 29.6 | L | L | ATL | ATL | 1 | - | - |
| Jackson Stephens | RP | 29.5 | R | R | ATL | ATL | 1 | - | - |
| Penn Murfee | RP | 29.5 | R | R | ATL | ATL | 1 | - | - |
FAQ's on MLB Free Agency
A. A free agent in MLB is a player whose contract has expired, allowing them the freedom to negotiate and sign with any team of their choosing.
A. The Dodgers made history with the most substantial free-agent deal in MLB, worth $700 million for 10 years ( for Shohei Ohtani).
A. Free agency in MLB started in 1972 because of a Flood v. Kuhn Supreme Court case.
A. Players become free agents in MLB when their contracts expire, allowing them to negotiate with any team in the league for a new deal.
A. MLB players with expiring contracts and who have at least six years experience in the MLB can become free agents.
