It’s that time of year again. Time for players to be prevented from hitting the open market by their own teams, then pretend to be happy about it (or strategically unhappy!) during every interview in spring ball (should they show up at all). The deadline for teams to utilize both the franchise tag and transition tag has been delayed to Monday, March 16, so let this be a guide for any and all possibilities leading up to the big moment.
Barring the completion of a new collective bargaining agreement that may alter these terms in any way, teams can utilize the franchise tag and transition tag this year, which will be interesting for clubs with multiple high-priority free agents.