Designated for assignment

Designated for assignment is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball. When a player is designated for assignment, he is immediately removed from the club's 40-man roster. As with nearly all North American professional team sports the size of Major League Baseball teams is limited by rosters This gives the club 10 days to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another transaction, if needed. After designating a player for assignment, the club must make one of the following contractual moves: Place the player on waivers; trade the player; or release the player.

1 Place the player on waivers
2 Trade the player
3 Release the player
4 See also

Place the player on waivers

Typically a player is placed on waivers after being designated for assignment for the purpose of outrighting him to one of the club's minor league teams. Major League Baseball transactions are changes made to the roster of a major league team during or after the season A player who is outrighted to the minors is removed from the 40-man roster but is still paid according to the terms of his guaranteed contract. A player can only be outrighted once in his career without his consent. However, a player must clear waivers (that is, no other team may place a waiver claim on the player) to be sent to a minor league team. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North Also, if the player has five or more full years of major league service, he must give consent to be assigned to the minors. If the player withholds consent, the team must either release him or keep him on the major league roster. In either case, the player must continue to be paid under the terms of his contract.

Trade the player

Once a player is designated for assignment, he may be traded. Some teams have been known to designate players for assignment to increase interest in the player, especially among teams that are not at the top of the list for waivers. For example, in May 2006, Rangers reliever Brian Shouse was designated for assignment, and was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers 4 days later. The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in Arlington Texas, United States, representing the Dallas-Ft Brian Douglas Shouse (born September 26, 1968 in Effingham Illinois) is a left-handed Relief pitcher in Major League Baseball The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which plays in the Central Division of the National League The Brewers could have waited until Shouse was placed on waivers so they would not have had to give up a player in a trade, but according to the waiver rules, the other 13 AL teams would have preference in claiming him. Major League Baseball transactions are changes made to the roster of a major league team during or after the season Also, under the "five and ten rule," if a player has ten years of Major League service, the last five of which with his current team, he cannot be traded without his consent.

Release the player

If a player is not traded, and clears waivers, he may be released from the team. The player is then a free agent and may sign with any team, including the team that just released him. Major League Baseball transactions are changes made to the roster of a major league team during or after the season The team that releases him is responsible for the salary the player is owed, less what he is paid by the team that signs him. In practice, that amount is usually a pro-rated portion of the Major League minimum salary.

Contents

Place the player on waivers

Trade the player

Release the player

See also