FAQ

The MLBPA is the collective bargaining representative for all current Major League and North American Minor League Baseball Players, negotiating the terms and conditions with Major League Baseball and ensuring those rights are upheld.

The Association works closely with MLB in ensuring that the playing conditions for all games involving Major League Players, whether the games are played in MLB stadiums or elsewhere, including internationally, meet proper safety guidelines. The Association also serves as the group licensing agent on behalf of the Players through its business arm MLB Players, Inc.

All Players, managers, a number of uniformed coaches and trainers are eligible for membership in the Association and accrue certain benefits. For purposes of collective bargaining, the Association represents around 1,200 Major League Players, or the number of Players on each club's 40-man roster, in addition to any Players on the Injured List. Additionally, the Association represents around 5,500 Minor League Players, or the number of Players on MLB-affiliated Rookie, Short-Season, Low-A, High-A, AA, and AAA teams who are not on the 40-man roster.

The Executive Board consists of the 30 player reps, one representing each club, plus the eight-member Executive Subcommittee, a leadership group comprised of the Players Association’s top elected officers. The current MLBPA Representatives are Francisco Lindor and Marcus Semien; the Alternate MLBPA Representatives are Jack Flaherty and Lance McCullers Jr.; the Pension Committee Representatives are Ian Happ and Austin Slater; and the Alternate Pension Committee Representatives are Lucas Giolito and Brent Suter.

A player with three or more years of service, but less than six years, may file for salary arbitration. In addition, a player is classified as a "Super Two" and eligible for salary arbitration if he has at least two (but less than three) years of Major League service, accumulated at least 86 days of service during the immediately preceding season and ranks in the top 22 percent (increased from 17 percent in previous agreements) in total service in the two-plus years’ service class of Players.

Companies seeking to use the names or likenesses of more than two Major League Baseball players in connection with a commercial product, product line or promotion must sign a licensing agreement with MLB Players, Inc.. The license grants the use of the players' names and/or likenesses only and not the use of any MLB team logos or marks. Examples of products licensed by the MLBPA include trading cards, video games, T-shirts, caps, a wide variety of other products such as pennants, posters, pins, action figures and advertising campaigns for a wide variety of products and services.

For more information: MLB Players, Inc.

To represent or advise a player in negotiating the terms of a Major League contract, an agent must first be certified by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Individuals who recruit players on behalf of agents, or who provide client maintenance services to players on behalf of certified agents, also must have MLBPA certification. To become certified by the MLBPA, a prospective agent, recruiter or service provider must first complete an online application at https://registration.mlbpa.org, pay a $2,000 application fee, pass a background investigation, pass a written exam, and be designated by a Major League Player as his representative, or by a certified agent as a recruiter or service provider. For more information about the application process and to get started with an application please go to https://registration.mlbpa.org.

Just as the Association endorses a free market system for its players in negotiating contracts with Club owners, the agent fee is negotiated freely between the player and his agent. The only stipulation is that an agent may not charge a fee unless the player's salary negotiated exceeds the Major League minimum and any fee charged may not, when subtracted from the salary negotiated, produce a net salary to the player below or equal to the minimum salary. Bonuses constitute salary only if earned. The fee limitation shall be prorated based on the applicable Major League or Minor League minimum salary rate for a Player who is paid at a Major League salary rate for part of the season and at a Minor League salary rate for part of the season. These agent fee limitations do not apply if the Player involved was a professional free agent at the time the Agent negotiated the Player's Uniform Player's Contract.

The PA launched Bigleaguers.com at the All-Star Game in Cleveland in July 1997. The original Bigleaguers.com featured interactive tools that allowed the players to exchange emails with fans and post text and photographs. It became a popular baseball destination in the early days of the Web as players gave daily online chats with fans, Monday through Friday, and provided unique player-generated content.