TJ Friedl became a free agent because the Cincinnati Reds removed him from their 40-man roster late in the 2026 season, outrighted him to Triple-A Louisville after he cleared waivers, and Friedl then exercised his contractual right to elect free agency once the season ended.
The move capped a dramatic fall for a player who had been Cincinnati’s regular center fielder and leadoff hitter and had even received an MVP vote three years earlier. Friedl struggled badly in 2026, was demoted to Triple-A twice and eventually lost his 40-man roster spot. [Sports Illustrated]
Importantly, Friedl did not become a free agent simply because his one-year contract expired. Cincinnati ordinarily would have retained team control over him through the arbitration process. His free agency instead resulted from the Reds’ decision to outright him and Friedl’s subsequent election to leave the organization.
Why Did TJ Friedl Become A Free Agent?
The process unfolded in several steps.
- The Reds optioned Friedl to Triple-A Louisville on September 19.
- Cincinnati designated him for assignment on September 20, removing him from the 40-man roster.
- Friedl passed through outright waivers without another team claiming him.
- The Reds outrighted him to Louisville on September 22.
- Friedl initially accepted the outright assignment and remained in the organization.
- After the regular season ended, Friedl exercised his right to elect free agency.
MLB’s official transaction records confirm that Cincinnati sent Friedl outright to Louisville on September 22. [MLB Transactions]
Sports Illustrated subsequently reported that Friedl elected free agency after the season. [Sports Illustrated]
Why Was Friedl Allowed To Elect Free Agency?
Friedl had accumulated enough Major League service time to receive special rights after being outrighted off the 40-man roster.
Under MLB rules, a player with more than three years of Major League service who clears outright waivers can reject an outright assignment and elect free agency instead. A qualifying player who accepts the assignment during the season can also retain the right to elect free agency after the season if he has not been returned to the Major League roster. [MLB]
Friedl entered 2026 with more than three years of Major League service, so once Cincinnati outrighted him to Louisville, he gained control over whether he wanted to remain in the organization. [Baseball Reference]
He initially stayed with Louisville, then chose free agency after the season rather than remain under Reds control.
Was TJ Friedl Going To Be A Normal Free Agent Anyway?
No.
This is an important distinction.
Players normally need six years of Major League service time to become unrestricted free agents at the end of a season. Friedl had not reached that threshold. [MLB]
Before being removed from the 40-man roster, Friedl was still under Cincinnati’s contractual control and was projected to be eligible for salary arbitration for 2027. Baseball Reference had listed his ordinary free-agent eligibility as 2029. [Baseball Reference]
Had the Reds simply kept him on the 40-man roster, Cincinnati could have tendered him a 2027 contract and either negotiated a salary or gone through arbitration.
The outright assignment changed that.
Why Did The Reds Designate Friedl For Assignment?
The immediate reason was a roster move.
Cincinnati designated Friedl for assignment on September 20 while placing pitcher Chase Burns on the injured list and selecting the contract of pitcher Carson Spiers from Triple-A Louisville. The Reds needed a 40-man roster spot for Spiers. [Reds Transactions]
But Friedl’s performance made him vulnerable to losing that spot.
He had gone from established leadoff hitter to a player the Reds had already sent to the minors multiple times during a disappointing season.
How Bad Was Friedl In 2026?
Friedl endured by far the weakest offensive season of his established Major League career.
Baseball Savant lists him with a .162 batting average, .245 on-base percentage and .248 slugging percentage across 266 plate appearances in 2026. He hit only four home runs. [Baseball Savant]
Baseball Reference records a similarly poor overall line, with a .510 OPS and an OPS+ of 43, meaning his offensive production was far below league average. [Baseball Reference]
Sports Illustrated noted that Friedl opened the year in his customary leadoff position but began just 3-for-30. His batting average remained below .200 throughout April and never recovered into anything resembling his previous production. [Sports Illustrated]
How Many Times Was Friedl Demoted?
The Reds sent Friedl to Triple-A twice during the season.
Cincinnati first optioned him to Louisville on June 3 after his extended early-season slump. He returned to the Major League roster on June 28. [Reds]
The club then optioned him again on September 19. One day later, Cincinnati went a step further and designated him for assignment. [MLB]
The progression was significant:
- An option sends a player to the minors while keeping him on the 40-man roster.
- A DFA removes him from the 40-man roster entirely.
- An outright assignment allows the team to keep him in the minors only after he clears waivers.
MLB explains that a player designated for assignment is immediately removed from the 40-man roster while the team determines whether to trade, waive, outright or release him. [MLB]
Did Another Team Claim Friedl?
No.
Friedl cleared outright waivers, meaning all 29 other Major League clubs had the opportunity to claim him and assume his existing contract, but none did so.
That allowed Cincinnati to send him outright to Triple-A Louisville on September 22. [MLB Trade Rumors]
The lack of a waiver claim was another indication of how dramatically Friedl’s value had declined during the season.
Was Friedl Also Put On Waivers Earlier In The Season?
Yes.
Cincinnati had already placed Friedl on waivers in August, along with veteran Eugenio Suárez.
Both players went unclaimed and remained with the Reds organization. [MLB Trade Rumors]
That August move did not remove Friedl from the organization because Cincinnati did not immediately outright him off the 40-man roster at that point.
The September DFA and outright assignment were therefore the decisive transactions that eventually opened the door to free agency.
Why Didn’t The Reds Just Non-Tender Friedl?
They did not need to wait until the offseason.
A non-tender occurs when a team declines to offer a contract to a player who remains under club control, usually around the November tender deadline. The player then becomes a free agent. [MLB]
Friedl’s situation was different because the Reds needed a 40-man roster spot in September and removed him immediately.
Once he cleared waivers and was outrighted, Friedl gained the ability to make his own free-agency decision without waiting for Cincinnati to make
