free agency
30
3.7
- noun
- /fri ˈeɪdʒənsi/
- Jargon
:
agencia libre
- Third baseman Casey McGehee has elected free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster.
- free agency for players
I don't need to know what your next clue is or or where you're going to sign in free agency.
- I don't need to know what your next clue is or or where you're going to sign in free agency.
Examples
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Guthrie rescued his free agency by finishing strong with the Royals after an awful stint in Colorado.
Blog text (6) -
If not, will he test the waters of free agency?
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The facts are we lost our two best players to free agency.
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The second important change was player free agency, which developed first in baseball, later in the other sports.
Academic text (1998) -
In 1989, a record 90 players filed for free agency.
Academic text (1991) -
Johnson will make $13.75 million in 2013 and will be eligible for free agency following the 2013 season.
Blog text (13) -
The league is also seeking to restrict free agency on several fronts.
Blog text (7) -
In all likelihood, Cano will enter free agency with a tremendous 2013 season added to his resume.
Blog text (11) -
Many teams are making significant changes through free agency this season to improve their rosters.
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After a successful career, he decided to explore free agency and see what offers he would receive.
How Free
- Jargon
30
3.7
- Formal
136
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The combination of 'free' (able to act without constraints) and 'agency' (ability to make choices) yields a clear general sense of 'freedom to act', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer that someone has the freedom to choose. However, the precise, domain-specific sense in sports — being free to negotiate contracts/not bound to a team — is specialized and not fully predictable from the constituents, so the phrase is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Free agency comes from two simple ideas: free (not tied) and agency (the ability to choose). Imagine a player with a suitcase who can walk into any team's office to sign a new contract; that image shows why it means 'able to sign with any team'.