National Defense list

The National Defense list was a roster sub-list that was created in World War II and remained in use throughout the Korean War.

Use of the list

In December 1940, organized baseball voted on the creation of the list. It was created to deal with the looming war and the many minor league players that were being drafted or voluntarily moving to defense work. As of November 27, 1941, the minors listed 286 players on the first National Defense lists.

The list was reactivated in 1950 during the Korean War by Commissioner Happy Chandler, largely mimicking the World War II rules. The list was still in use into the 1960s.

General rules

The list had three major purposes:

1. It prevented players from losing service time due to military service.
2. It prevented those players from counting against roster limits, thereby allowing clubs to not subject them to waivers or other mechanisms where the player could be signed or drafted by other clubs.
3. It guaranteed that returning players would have a job upon returning, although clubs could immediately release them after reinstating them, per normal baseball rules.

1946 Blue Book text

Rule 14 (d)

National Defense List: (d) Any player accepted in any branch of the armed forces of the United States shall automatically be placed on the National Defense Service List and shall not count in the player limits of his club until removed from such National Defense Service List.

NOTE: Any player on the National Defense Service List, upon honorable discharge (a) may apply for reinstatement, or to have his status changed. Such application shall be filed with the President of his league, who shall certify the application to the Commissioner, who shall grant the reinstatement upon such terms and conditions as the facts may, in his judgment, warrant.

(b) A player on the National Defense Service List must be reinstated before he can be unconditionally released.

(c) It shall not be necessary to tender contracts to players on the National Defense Service List until they have been reinstated as hereinabove set forth.

National Defense Service Reinstatement and Waiver Rules (special addendum)

The following are the Major-Minor League Rules now in effect as to reinstated National Defense Service List players:

Rule I

In pursuance of the fundamental principle that no player's rights shall be lost or lessened by reason of his serving in the armed forces in this war, the National Defense List player, after his reinstatement to a club's active list, shall be regarded just the same as if he had been in baseball service while in the armed forces, so far as concerns his Major League veteran status (10-year service), his eligibility for advancement by draft, and any other baseball rule as to which it will be to the player's advantage. However, such service in the armed forces shall not be regarded the same as baseball service in determining his rookie status, or in connection with any rule as to which it would be to the player's disadvantage to do so.

(Editor's note—The following amendment by addition to N. D. S. Reinstatement Rule No. I was passed at the Joint Meeting of Dec. 12, 1945 at the Palmer House, Chicago, Illinois.)

Except that clubs may unconditionally release a player at any time after reinstatement (waivers having been granted to the club by clubs of the same classification) upon written request for free agency from the player without liability on the part of the club for any payment of salary to the player.

Rule II

The following rules apply only to reinstated National Defense players:

(a) Waiver requests containing the names of reinstated National Defense players shall not include names of other players.

(b) If the waiver request is withdrawn, all waivers previously secured are void and waivers cannot again be asked until at least 60 days of a playing season or seasons have elapsed since the withdrawal. If the player is transferred to an affiliated or owned Minor League club, that club cannot again ask waivers on the player until 60 playing days have elapsed; or if transferred to a non-affiliated Minor League club, that club cannot ask waivers on the player until 21 playing days have elapsed. (Note: First sentence of present rule: "If claimed on waivers, the transfer can be made only on the waivers" is eliminated.)

(c) As to a reinstated National Defense player, not more than two waiver requests in the same league may be made in any calendar year, except that when existing waivers expire new waivers may be requested without regard to this limitation but subject to the limitations of the preceding paragraph.

(d) Waiver claims may be made by telegram by a Minor League club within 7 days from date of waiver-request telegram, during the playing season, and within 14 days during the off-season. The club requesting the waivers may withdraw its request, by telegram, within 3 days after notification of claim during the playing season or within 6 days during the off-season. As to Major League clubs, their present rules as to time of claiming and withdrawing claim shall apply.

Waiver claim or withdrawal cannot be made by telephone; but may be made by mail, in which case the foregoing time limits apply to date the mail is received (not date of mailing) and the club acting by mail instead of by telegram assumes all risk of, and responsibility for, all delay to the mail.

(e) When waivers are granted, they shall be effective for 30 days.

(f) The waiver price shall be $5,000 if player is claimed by a Class AAA club; $3,750 if player is claimed by a Class AA club; $1,750 if claimed by a Class A-1 club; $1,250 if claimed by a Class A club; $500 if claimed by a Class B club; $350 if claimed by a Class C club; and $100 if claimed by a Class D club.

(g) The player's contract shall be awarded to the higher classification club filing claim. If claimed within the league of the waivers, the player's contract shall be awarded to claiming club then standing lowest in the current championship season; or, if during the off-season, then to the claiming club lowest in the preceding championship season. If several clubs in different leagues of similar classification (not including the league of the club asking waivers), claim the player's contract, then the contract shall be awarded by lot as between the claiming leagues and by lot-winning league to its claiming club which then has the lowest standing in the current championship season, or, if during the off-season to its claiming club lowest in the preceeding championship season.

(h) Before a reinstated National Defense player may be unconditionally released, waivers must be secured in the classification in which the player's contract is held, and all waiver requests in contemplation of such unconditional release must specify that the request is being made for the purpose of unconditional release. Waivers for the purpose herein stated may be requested at any time and cannot be withdrawn.

These rules apply to transfers whether outright or optional; but in case of optional transfer by a Major League club, that club shall be obligated to pay the player's full Major League unless and until he is unconditionally released, whether recall or not. (Note: also see paragraph 9 of Sec. IV.)

These rules apply only to National Defense players who are reinstated to a club's active list. They apply to such players for one year from date of reinstatement regardless of unconditional release, transfer or other change in the player's status following reinstatement; and for the purpose of all player limits applicable to reinstated National Defense players it immaterial whether the player was reinstated to the club's own list or was acquired as a free agent or by assignment of contract. However, one year (commencing with date of reinstatement) after reinstatement these rules shall cease to apply to such reinstated National Defense Player, except that such player's service status fixed as a result of the operation of Article I of these rules is permanent and is not affected by the expiration of one year after reinstatement.

Class A-I and Class A are to be considered as one classification except under paragraph (f).

Rule III

(1) AMENDMENT TO MAJOR ANI) MAJOR-MINOR RULE 2.

In addition to the limits imposed above, each classification, including the Major Leagues, may add one reinstated National Defense player for each five (or fraction) players allowed in the above limits, these increased limits shall be effective only one year after the end of the present emergency known as World War 2. For the purpose of this rule, a reinstated National Defense player shall maintain such status for one calendar year from the date of his reinstatement.

(2) AMENDMENT TO MAJOR-MIXOR RULE 11 (c) 2. In addition to the limits imposed above, each classification, including the Major Leagues, may add one optional assignment for each three (or fraction) options allowed in the above limits. These increased limit options shall be effective only until one year after the end of the present emergency known as World War 2.

Rule IV

(1) A reinstated National Defense player must be retained and receive salary at least 15 days of a playing season before he can be unconditionally released.

Except that clubs may unconditionally release a player at any time after reinstatement (waivers having been granted to the club by clubs of the same classification) upon written request for free agency from the player, without liability on the part of the club for any payment of salary to the player.

(2) A reinstated National Defense player shall not count in any player limits of the club to which reinstated until he has been in the club's salaried service 15 days of the playing season, but shall count in the player limits of any other club which may acquire his services. (Note: This supersedes all prior rules dealing with this subject, except that amendment to Major-Minor Rule 2, quoted above, continues in effect.)

(3) A reinstated National Defense player may be required to attend his club's s ring training (or a training period of not exceeding 15 days, if reinstated during a championship season) to qualify him to perform the duties of his position; but he must be paid 15 days' salary if not retained after such training period.

(4) If a National Defense player does not apply for reinstatement within 90 days after his discharge or separation from the armed forces, he shall give his club 30 days' notice of any reinstatement application made by him after February 1 of any year.

(5) NO National Defense player shall be reinstated to the active list of any Minor League club after October 1 and until December 2, inclusive. (This recommendation is made in Major-Minor Rule 10 (a), which prohibits transfer of players services by Minor League clubs in that period.)

(6) A National Defense player reinstated to his club's active list during its 1945 championship season shall be eligible to participate in the World Series or any other official post-season series in which his club participates, regardless of any eligibility date or player limit otherwise applicable to participation therein.

(7) A reinstated National Defense player reinstated to the active list of a Major League club after February 15, or to the active list of a Minor League club after March 1, shall be tendered within 15 days after reinstatement a uniform player's contract for the current season; and if reinstated after the close of his club's season he shall be tendered a uniform player's contract for the next following season on or before February 15 if on a Major League club's list, or on or before March 1 if on a Minor League club's list. Such contract shall provide at least the same salary and conditions that were stipulated in the player's contract in effect when he was placed on the National Defense list. If there has been a transfer of the player's contract to a higher classification club since he was placed on the National Defense list, the contract tendered him following his reinstatement shall provide for a salary not less than 25% more than the salary specified in his last effective contract.

(8) A reinstated National Defense player shall be credited with a season of baseball service for each baseball season of his club that he has been in the armed forces, and part-season service for 30 days or more of his club's championship season shall be counted as a full season, except that for the purpose of veteran-player status under Major League Rule 8 (b) part-season service shall be computed as stated in that rule.

(9) The contract of a reinstated National Defense player shall not be assigned outright or optionally to a club of lower classification than the reinstating club until the player has been retained by the reinstating club 30 days of a training season or 15 days of a playing season (if training and playing season overlap, two training season days shall be regarded as equivalent to one playing season day) and unless waivers are secured from all clubs of the assignor's classification and of higher classification than the assignee club.

In all cases involving the assignment of the contract of a reinstated National Defense player, the assignee club must assume the entire salary specified in the player's contract with the assignor club unless the clubs, party to such assignment, otherwise agree and so stipulate in the assignment agreement. For the purpose of salary limits, if the acquired player's contract calls for a salary in excess of the average salary of the league of which the assignee club is a member, only an amount equivalent to the average salary of that league shall be charged against the assignee club's salary limit.

(10) From second paragraph of Major and Major-Minor Rule 5 (g) 2, eliminate the words "National Defense Service List." (These words were eliminated by the National Defense player rules heretofore adopted and now in effect, but through oversight were not taken out of the rule.)