The Seitz decision was a ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz (1905–1983) on December 23, 1975, which declared that

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) players became

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

s upon playing one year for their team without a contract, effectively nullifying baseball's

reserve clause The reserve clause, in North American professional sports, was part of a player contract which stated that the rights to players were retained by the team upon the contract's expiration. Players under these contracts were not free to enter into an ...

. The ruling was issued in regard to pitchers Andy Messersmith and

Dave McNally David Arthur McNally (October 31, 1942 – December 1, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1962 through 1975, most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles d ...

Background

Since the 1880s, baseball owners had included a paragraph described as the reserve clause in every player contract. The paragraph as written allowed teams to renew a contract for a period of one year following the end of a signed contract. Owners asserted and players assumed that contract language effectively meant that a player could be "reserved," by a ballclub's unilateral contract renewal, year after year in perpetuity by the team that had signed the player. That eliminated all market competition and kept salaries relatively low.

and Andy Messersmith both played

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starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

s. McNally first played professionally in 1961, and made his major-league debut in 1962 with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. Messersmith first played professionally in 1966, and made his major-league debut in 1968 with the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

Grievance

In 1975, Messersmith played his third season with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

, while McNally played his first season with the

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, having been traded by the Orioles in December 1974. Both players had had their 1974 contracts automatically renewed by their teams for the 1975 season, on the basis of the reserve clause. Since neither signed a contract during that option year, both asserted that they were free to sign with other teams the following season (1976). The owners disagreed, arguing that under the reserve clause the one-year contracts were perpetually renewed. The

Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the union representing all current Major League Baseball players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held a signed contract with a Major League cl ...

(MLBPA) filed notices of grievance on behalf of both players on October 7, 1975.

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s were held on November 21, 24 and December 1, 1975, before an arbitration panel composed of MLB Player Relations Committee chief negotiator John Gaherin, MLBPA executive director

Marvin Miller Marvin Julian Miller (April 14, 1917 – November 27, 2012) was an American baseball executive who served as the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 to 1982. Under Miller's direction, the players ...

, and Seitz—the chairman and impartial arbitrator—agreed upon by both opposing parties.

Decision

Seitz ruled in favor of Messersmith and McNally on December 23, 1975, declaring:Kansas City Royals Baseball Corp. v. Major League Baseball Players Ass'n, 409 F. Supp. 233, 261 (W.D. Mo. 1976) aff'd, 532 F.2d 615 (8th Cir. 1976) – Leagle, Inc.
/ref> Seitz's opinion further stated: In essence, the players were free to bargain with other teams because organized baseball could maintain a player's services for only one year after expiration of the previous contract. According to Gaherin, Seitz indicated soon after he heard arguments from both sides that he was leaning toward ruling for the players.

Aftermath

MLB appealed the decision to the

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for Western Missouri, but Seitz's ruling was upheld on February 3, 1976, by Judge John Watkins Oliver, and later by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. In August, after all appeals were exhausted, the league and players' association reached an agreement allowing players with six years of major-league service to become

s. McNally and Messersmith were officially granted free agency on March 16, 1976. Messersmith signed with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in ...

on April 10, 1976, and went on to play in MLB through the 1979 season, completing his 12-year major-league career with 344 games pitched (295 starts) and a 130–99

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

. McNally did not play professionally after 1975, having finished his 14-year major-league career with 424 games pitched (396 starts) and a 184–119 record.

References

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