Today in Blue Jays-adjacent history: Pirate trickery with a pilfered pitcher
‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the league Not a front office was stirring, no bit of intrigue The fanbases were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of free agents danced in their heads But it was not always such a completely dead period. As I outlined earlier today, for a long time the last day to tender contracts to players for the next season (and thereby keep them under reserve) was December 20th. Initially this involved literally mailing out the contracts, and at some point transitioned to the current process whereby teams submit a list to MLB, who compile a...
Source: bluebirdbanter.com