About how many players are released and never play again?

Question

About how many baseball players are released by their ballclubs at the end of the year who aren't able to be picked up by another team?

Answer 1

i dont know, but i always wondered when a player is released, does he still get paid the balance of the contract that is remaining, or does all money stop.

Answer 2

There an article this year in the NY Times or something like that showing that 75-80% of players that make the major leagues spend fewer than 3 years in the bigs. Usually, they get a cup of coffee and then spend the next couple of years going between AAA and the majors before following off the radar.

After tracking free agent signings the past three off-season I have been able to come to my own conclusions. At the end of the season, there are about 250 free agents by various means (not including minor leaguers) and about 200 of them are signed--though they may get released again or sent to the minors. Of the 50 left on the market, 15 may retire and another 10 may sign a year later. That leaves 25 or 10% out of luck.

Also, to answer one of the above answerers, a player that is released usually ends up receiving their full remaining salary. But depending on when they are released, they may only pick up a portion--but payment never stops completely.

Answer 3

The problem with counting at a given moment is that guys can linger in the minors. Players go down to AAA and bounce around there for long periods of time. Then, they can be back in the majors under emergency conditions.

20-25 percent does sound about right as a turnover number, though.

Answer 4

IDK any exact numbers, but I once read that MLB has about a 20% turnover from one season to the next. A lot of the guys in that group don't even know it until it happens. To me, it would be like being the victim of a stray bullet or a hit man--you never saw it coming. . . .