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Tom Barrister · 08-01-2012, 10:54 PM

I wondered about that too. It makes sense. I was around when the Reserve Clause was still in effect, albeit in its twilight years. Essentially, the owners could offer a player whatever they wanted. The player's options were to accept it or "hold out" for more money. Needless to say, only the very best could hold out for more, relying on fans to pressure the owner to loosen the purse strings.

Led by the efforts of Curt Flood, Marvin Miller, and others, the reserve clause was essentially struck down by arbitrator Peter Seitz in 1975, when he ruled that Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally (who had played without contracts for one year) could become free agents.

If I'm playing a historical league that starts pre-1975 (i.e. in 1946), does the reserve clause option automatically disappear in 1975/1976?

08-01-2012, 10:54 PM	#7
Tom Barrister Bat Boy Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4	I wondered about that too. It makes sense. I was around when the Reserve Clause was still in effect, albeit in its twilight years. Essentially, the owners could offer a player whatever they wanted. The player's options were to accept it or "hold out" for more money. Needless to say, only the very best could hold out for more, relying on fans to pressure the owner to loosen the purse strings. Led by the efforts of Curt Flood, Marvin Miller, and others, the reserve clause was essentially struck down by arbitrator Peter Seitz in 1975, when he ruled that Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally (who had played without contracts for one year) could become free agents. If I'm playing a historical league that starts pre-1975 (i.e. in 1946), does the reserve clause option automatically disappear in 1975/1976? Last edited by Tom Barrister; 08-02-2012 at 01:02 PM.