In most major American professional sports leagues, free agency hits hard and fast. The majority of the game’s top players typically sign within hours of free agency opening, and the flurry of news helps generate conversation around the sport for the remainder of the offseason.

But that’s not usually how things go in baseball.

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Unlike the NFL, NBA and NHL, all of which have a salary cap, MLB has an uncapped system that allows teams to spend as much as they’d like. But because players aren’t limited to a collectively bargained “max deal” like in those other leagues, players are incentivized to hold out for the biggest contract they possibly can.

As a result, free agency for many top players can drag on for ages, often even into spring training.

If given his way, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred would like to see that change.

Earlier this week Manfred expressed support for a free agent signing deadline, which would generate activity during the winter just like the trade deadline does during the season. Manfred said such a deadline would bring attention to the sport during a time when baseball is typically overshadowed by football and basketball, and he expects to raise the issue with the MLB Players Association during the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations.

During his press conference at Fenway Fest on Saturday, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy said, unprompted, that he’s in favor of the idea too.

“Obviously way above my paygrade, but count me as someone who would support that,” Kennedy said. “I think in terms of being in a very competitive market for fan interest and attention, having a defined period would be helpful.”

“Anything we can do to create even more interest and excitement around Major League Baseball, the better,” Kennedy added later. “And the rule changes and all the steps that the players and the owners through the joint competition committee made, the pitch clock, the bigger bases, the banning of the shift, have been extraordinary, extraordinarily well received. I think we should consider any changes that will increase fan interest.”

The idea of a free agent signing deadline would likely have appeal to many fans, who often grow restless as top players linger on the market deep into the offseason. Red Sox fans in particular have become familiar with that feeling. This marks the second straight winter the club has spent months waiting on Alex Bregman, and before him the club didn’t sign Trevor Story or J.D. Martinez until very late in the game.

Any deadline would have to be collectively bargained, however, and the idea has already drawn opposition from the MLBPA.

“Free agency thrives when competition thrives — on and off the field,” said MLBPA President Tony Clark when reached this week by The Athletic. “If the owners are genuinely interested in improving free agency, there are many ways to get there, and we look forward to having that discussion in the coming months.

Boston Red Sox’s Alex Bregman, right, celebrates after his home run during the fifth inning of a game against the New York Yankees on Saturday, Sept. 13 in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

“But if their true interest is to blow up the very system on which our streak of uninterrupted seasons has been built — with the game reaching record heights and poised to go even higher, no less — that would be a self-defeating miscalculation of massive proportions.”

Beyond broad philosophical differences, there are several sticking points any free agent deadline would have to address.

One, what would happen if a player didn’t sign before the deadline? When the trade deadline passes all players simply remain with their current teams, but that isn’t an option with free agents. So would they be barred from playing for a period of time? And when would the signing window open again?

Beyond that, what’s to stop teams from collectively lowballing free agents as the deadline approaches, putting top players in a take-it or leave-it situation? Some teams would still come in with better offers to land a coveted player, but without having the leverage to keep waiting things out, players likely wouldn’t get as good a deal as they might under the current system.

That fear, and the general distrust that has always existed between the players and owners, is why Manfred’s idea is unlikely to be implemented anytime soon. But on the eve of what should be contentious labor negotiations, Manfred’s public pitch, and the vocal support of one of the game’s marquee clubs, is an indication that the battle lines are already being drawn.

Pedroia gains momentum

The 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame vote results won’t be officially announced until Jan. 20, but thanks to the tireless work of Ryan Thibodaux and his tracker team, we have a pretty good idea of how this year’s totals are trending.

One conclusion we can already reach, Dustin Pedroia is moving in the right direction.

As of this writing with approximately one-third of the total ballots made public, the former Red Sox great is sitting at 26.6% of the vote. He has already tallied as many votes as he did in the entire 2025 cycle, when he garnered 41 votes (11.9%).

Red Sox Hall of Famer Dustin Pedroia, left, sits with manager Alex Cora in the dugout before a May 30, 2024 game at Fenway Park. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

That’s a far cry from the 75% he’ll eventually need to earn induction, but it’s a significant and notable jump.

Pedroia’s Hall of Fame candidacy has always been complicated. On one hand, Pedroia was among the best second basemen of the 21st century and posted a 10-year run of dominance that few other second basemen in MLB history have ever matched. Between 2007-16 he batted .303 with an .815 OPS and 50.7 wins above replacement, earned four All-Star nods and four Gold Gloves, won Rookie of the Year and MVP, and helped the Red Sox capture two World Series titles.

On the other hand, Pedroia’s career was prematurely cut short by injuries, so his career numbers fall short of what have historically been considered the minimum Hall of Fame benchmarks.

In the past those underwhelming career totals probably would have sunk Pedroia’s Hall of Fame hopes, but lately voters have shown a willingness to overlook a shorter career if the player put together an elite peak.

Longtime Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones, who had a similar career arc as Pedroia with a historically dominant first 10 years before falling off a cliff after turning 30, is trending towards induction with 82.5% of the known vote. Jones is on his ninth ballot and finished with less than 10% of the total in each of his first two years of eligibility.

Former Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez is also enjoying a surge in support. He’s up to 57.8% of the known vote in his second year of eligibility even though he was effectively finished by age 30. But over a 10-year stretch Hernandez was among the game’s most dominant starters, posting a 3.13 ERA while tallying 190 or more innings every season, earning six All-Star nods and finishing top-10 in the Cy Young vote six times, including a win in 2010 and two runner-up finishes.

Then there’s ex-Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, whose career largely overlapped with Pedroia and who put together an insane stretch where he topped 7 WAR — which equates to MVP-level production — in five consecutive seasons. Utley is tracking at 66.9% in his third year, so while he likely won’t get in this time, he should have a great shot to earn his call by the end of the decade. Jeff Kent’s recent election by the Contemporary Era committee should help both Utley and Pedroia too.

Phillies star Chase Utley, right, is congratulated after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds, Monday, April 15, 2013, in Cincinnati. (AP file photo)

All told, this is shaping up to be a great year for Pedroia and his Hall of Fame supporters. While the Red Sox legend still has a tall hill to climb, his chances look much better today than they did at this point last January.

Sunday Night Baseball

After decades airing on ESPN, MLB Sunday Night Baseball is moving to NBC/Peacock for the upcoming season. The network recently announced its schedule for the 2026 season and the Red Sox are slated to have four games carried by the network.

Those games are the club’s June 14 game against the Texas Rangers, June 28 against the New York Yankees, Aug. 2 at the Los Angeles Dodgers and Aug. 23 against Rafael Devers and the San Francisco Giants.

All four games will be carried by both NBC and Peacock, and the first three will begin at 7 p.m., with the Giants game set to start at 3 p.m.