ATLANTA - When Andy Messersmith put his signature on a two-year contract from the Atlanta Braves, he was doing more than just switching teams for the 1976 baseball season. He was becoming the first man to voluntarily switch baseball teams without his previous team's permission. In short, he was the first free agent.
Since the 1880s, major league players had been bound to their previous teams by what was known as the reserve clause. In simplest terms, if a player signed a contract with a team for a season, that team had the right of first refusal for the player for the next year. While this clause led to more continuity for teams, allowing them to keep players for as long as they wanted, it kept salaries down for players. If they didn't think they were getting paid enough, their only recourse to get more money was to hold out, a risky proposition.
The reserve clause, then, was always despised by players, who saw it as a form of indentured servitude. Players had previously challenged the reserve clause, most notably Curt Flood, but to no avail. Despite their best efforts, players were still stuck playing under a contract clause that had been established nearly a century before.
Coming off a 20-win season in 1974, Messersmith went to the Dodgers for negotiations for a new contract. He asked them for a no-trade clause. He wasn't intending to be a trail blazer; he just wanted the right to choose whether the Dodgers could trade him or not. After the Dodgers rebuffed his offer - and, according to him, insulted him - he vowed to challenge the reserve clause to get out of Los Angeles.
First, though, he had to play a year without a contract. An essential part of the reserve clause was that as long as a player signs a contract, his team has his rights for the next year, too. Most teams wouldn't let players play without signing a contract, but the Dodgers didn't want to risk losing their best pitcher, so they relented. After putting up another great year in 1975 - playing with the same salary as in 1974 - Messersmith sued for the right to be a free agent.
On December 23, arbiter Peter Sietz ruled in favor of Messersmith and fellow pitcher Dave McNally, ruling that anybody who played a single year without a contract was allowed to be a free agent. After major league baseball lost its appeals, Messersmith and McNally were free to sign with whomever they wanted. Though McNally retired, Messersmith joined the Braves on April 10. That season, MLB and the players union agreed to a deal where any player with 6 years experience could be a free agent.
Messersmith never again pitched as effectively as he did in 1975 and 75, but it was his lawsuit that allowed for free agency in major league baseball and, soon, all other pro sports.
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