The MLB Re-entry Draft was an early attempt by Major League Baseball to introduce limited player movement before the advent of true free agency. It operated from 1965 through 1976, a transitional era shaped by growing pressure from the MLB Players Association and a series of legal challenges to the reserve clause.

The draft was created as part of the 1965 Basic Agreement. At that time, players whose contracts had expired were still bound to their clubs under the reserve system. The Re-entry Draft allowed those players to be placed into a pool and selected by other teams, but under tightly controlled conditions. Most importantly, the drafting team had to assume the player’s existing contract, and the player had no right to negotiate salary or choose his destination. In practice, this meant the system favored veterans who were useful at their current pay level, while star players with higher salaries were often avoided.

The draft was held annually and consisted of multiple rounds. Teams selected in reverse order of the previous season’s standings, similar to other MLB drafts. If a player was selected, his former club received no compensation. Because teams were required to carry the player on the major league roster, selections tended to focus on immediate contributors rather than long-term projects.

For the Phillies, the Re-entry Draft functioned primarily as a way to add experienced depth rather than cornerstone players. Philadelphia used the draft to supplement its roster during the late 1960s and early 1970s, often targeting pitchers and utility players who would stabilize the club over a long season. While the Phillies did not land a franchise-altering star through the Re-entry Draft, they did acquire veteran contributors who filled important supporting roles, particularly during years when the organization was transitioning from its post-1964 collapse toward the more competitive clubs of the mid-1970s.

The Re-entry Draft effectively became obsolete after the 1975 Seitz decision and the introduction of modern free agency in 1976. Once players gained the right to negotiate freely with any team, the rigid and team-friendly structure of the Re-entry Draft no longer made sense. Its disappearance marked a significant step toward the labor system that governs MLB today, but it remains an important bridge between the reserve clause era and full player freedom.