In baseball, there are certain players who are so talented that they can demand high salaries from teams. Once a team commits to paying such a player a large salary, they will be designated for assignment (DFA). This means that the team will no longer be required to pay the player any more money and can trade them without penalty.
The process of designating a player is relatively simple. Teams must place their non-tendered or released players on revocable waivers in order to give other teams an opportunity to claim them. Once there are at least five teams interested in claiming a player, they become eligible for assignment to the minor leagues.
If another team has also previously claimed the player in an attempt to get him demoted instead of outright releasing him, then he becomes eligible for assignment at that time as well. After being assigned to the minor leagues, he can be released or offered back to his original club at no cost.
How Does Designated For Assignment Work in Baseball?
When a team decides that they no longer want a player on their roster, they can put him on waivers. If another team claims the player, he is demoted to the minor leagues. If no other team claims the player, he can be outright released.
If the team decides to put the player on waivers and then him off waivers, they are essentially putting him on the market to be claimed. If a team claims him, he will then be designated for assignment. If no team claims the player, he is released and will then be available for another team to sign.
When teams put players up for trade, they can place them on waivers. Other teams can then claim them in order to receive a portion of the player’s salary. Once a player is claimed off waivers in another league, they become available to be designated for assignment.
When Can a Player Be Designated for Assignment?
Once a player has cleared waivers, they can be designated for assignment in order to be traded to another team. There is no official limit as to how many times a player can be designated for assignment. However, it is usually only used as a means of getting rid of a player that has become a distraction on the team.
If a player has been placed on the disabled list, they can also be designated for assignment. This is a tactic teams use to get rid of a player that is not healthy enough to help their team win.
Once the player has been designated for assignment, he can be traded to another team, outright released, or sent back to the minor leagues. If he is released, he will be available for another team to sign.
The Rules for Designation in Baseball
Whenever a team puts a player on waivers, they can place them on revocable waivers. The team must list the player in this fashion on revocable waivers. The team must remain on the waiver list for at least five days. During this five-day period, other teams can claim the player and pay his salary. If no other team claims the player on waivers, he is then free to sign with any team.
A team cannot extend a player an offer sheet or make a contract offer sheet. However, another team can claim a player on revocable waivers and sign them to an offer sheet or contract offer sheet. If the original team decides to release the player as opposed to putting him on waivers again, then they cannot trade him or put him on waivers again to designate him for assignment.
Why Is DFA Used in Baseball?
There are many reasons teams might choose to designate a player for assignment. Perhaps the player has become a distraction on the team, or the team might simply not like the terms of the contract. Teams may also use DFA to get rid of a player that is injured and not productive enough to help the team win.
DFA can be a useful tool for a team that has too many players on their roster. Teams that over-complicate the process of DFA can end up back-peddling when a DFA player is claimed on revocable waivers and signed to an offer sheet by another team.
Other Variations of DDA In Baseball
The MLB and a few other major professional sports leagues are one of the few places where designated for assignment exists. In the other major sports, there are often other names for the concept of a player being made available to other teams in a trade, or being demoted and then released. All of these names refer to the same concept: a player being made available to another team without the team having to outright release him. In most other sports, there is no official term for this process.
When Players Are Made Available Via DFA
Players on a team’s roster that are not on the 25-man roster can also be made available for trade. These players can be made available for trade at any time, although the team will generally wait until the day before the next game to do so. Once a player is made available for trade, he is removed from the roster.
The team can then place him on waivers, trade him, or release him. If a team decides to keep a player that has been made available for trade, they can place him on waivers. Once on waivers, he can be traded to another team, sent down to the minor leagues, or outright released. If a team decides to waive the player, they cannot then place him back on the roster.
The Pitfalls of DDA in Baseball
While designated for assignment is a useful tool in baseball, it also carries some risks and pitfalls. While it allows teams to get rid of players that are not performing on their team, it can also be used as a way of masking problems with the team. If a team sees a slump in their performance or a problem with their chemistry, they may simply put a talented player on DFA waivers in order to send them down to the minor leagues.
This may hide the fact that the team has a problem. Another potential pitfall of DDA is that a team may fear that another team is going to claim a player on revocable waivers, and decide to DFA them in order to get rid of the player before anyone else can. This can be a dangerous decision for a team if the player is truly no longer part of the team’s future plans.
Conclusion
Designated for assignment is a useful tool in baseball that allows teams to get rid of certain players without having to release them. When a player is designated for assignment, their team removes them from the roster and can then trade them, put them on waivers, or outright release them. While there are many potential pitfalls associated with DFA, it can be a useful tool for teams that have too many players on their roster.
