First Contract FAQs

It applies to players employed by a Major League club and signed to a Minor League Uniform Player Contract (UPC).

It does not apply to players on an MLB 40-man roster, on an MLB injured or inactive list, assigned to a Minor League team outside the U.S. or Canada, or inactive for two years or voluntarily retired.

Whether you fall under the CBA determines which rights and protections apply to you, from day one.

The Minor League Uniform Player Contract. No other form is permitted under the CBA. It governs your term of control, salary, assignments, housing, injury rights, and termination rights.

The UPC is standardized. That does not mean you should sign it without someone who understands it reading it with you.

If this is your first professional baseball contract, the term is seven seasons — unless you are 19 on June 5 immediately before signing, in which case it is six.

This term is fixed and not negotiable for first contracts.

After you and the club sign, the contract goes to the Commissioner. The approval deadline is 20 days — or 30 days if submitted between February 15 and April 15. The Commissioner must approve, disapprove, or explain any delay.

Once you have spent at least one day on any of these: the Minor League Active List, Injured List, or Development List.

One day does not equal a full season. It changes your contract classification only — but that classification is what opens up negotiable items.

No. For first-year contracts the CBA does not permit negotiation of higher salary, bonuses outside the draft signing bonus structure, release clauses, special covenants, or housing upgrades. It is all fixed.

Your signing bonus is negotiable — and that happens before you sign the UPC. That is where representation matters most.

Limited items, including:

• Salary above the minimum, up to $8,400 per week
• Guaranteed money up to $100,000 total
• Up to three release clauses
• Up to three assignment-to-MLB-roster clauses
• Contract term up to two seasons
• Certain MLB contract terms if added to the 40-man roster (cap: $4 million)
• Rent-free housing or a private hotel room
• Guaranteed invitation to Major League Spring Training

These are maximums and permissions, not guarantees. Knowing what you can ask for is the first step to getting it.

No. Rookie and Complex League seasons do not count toward a season of service for contract classification. Your service clock works differently than most people assume.

Yes. A minimum of four weeks of Spring Training pay. If you are under contract for fewer than four weeks, pay is prorated.

Yes, depending on status. Off-season on-site, at the club's invitation: $660 per week with housing and meals provided. Off-season off-site: $260 per week, no housing or meals.

There is also a Dead Period from late November through January 1, when clubs may not require activity other than necessary rehab.

Yes — in Spring Training, the championship season, the postseason, or if invited or required to report during the off-season. Housing is rent-free and must meet CBA standards. Clubs cannot require you to sign a lease for club-provided housing.

You may opt out at your own expense. If you would otherwise share a bedroom, you may be entitled to a $50 per night lodging stipend — if you notify the club by November 1.

If you notify the club by November 1, it must either provide appropriate private housing or a stipend of at least $50 per night. Late notice makes accommodation discretionary.

That deadline is the whole thing. Missing it can cost you significant housing benefits.

No. Clubs cannot assign or transfer you to another affiliate while you are on the Injured List, except for approved rehab assignments. This is one of your most important protections.

Clubs must provide or reimburse transportation to and from the ballpark, coach airfare and baggage fees, ground transportation, mileage if you drive, and hotel rooms for overnight travel.

You also get two high-quality meals on game days, nutritious clubhouse snacks, and a per diem on the road. No clubhouse dues may be charged.

The UPC is standardized, but every clause has meaning and every right has conditions attached. Standard does not mean you don't need to understand it. It means everyone signs the same form. Read it.

Service time does not work the way most players assume. One day on a list changes your classification but does not equal a season. How your service clock actually works affects everything from free agency timing to leverage in future negotiations.

Housing, pay, off-season rules, injury protections — these are contractual rights, not courtesies. Players who don't know their rights can't enforce them, and clubs are not obligated to remind you what you're entitled to.