BOSTON — Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred floated the idea of implementing a free agent signing deadline this past week, and Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said the idea was “worth of exploration, for sure.”
Over the last decade, baseball has seen a protracted signing period of some of the top free agents, with some of the biggest stars remaining unsigned until February and sometimes as late as March. Currently, about 20 of the Top 50 free agents available have yet to sign contracts for 2026 and beyond.
By contrast, the NBA, NFL and NHL have a far brisker signing period, with many of the available players coming off the board in the first few days of free agency.
Baseball could benefit from that sort of concentrated signing period, since those signings would generate plenty of media coverage and fan interest.
“We’re in a very, very competitive market and anything that we can do to generate even more interest and excitement around Major League Baseball, the better,” said Kennedy at Fenway Fest at Fenway Park. “I think we should consider any changes that will increase fan interest. We have the best sport in the world; there’s just nothing like it.”
Such a change to the offseason calendar would require the approval of the Players Association, which has already voiced its opposition to the proposal. The union, and top agents like Scott Boras, contend that a deadline would take away leverage for free agents and force them to take lesser offers.