Details of the salary cap plan owners imposed Friday:
Salary cap
Each team must maintain its 40-man payroll, including benefits, at between 110 percent of the 1994 average under a system where players would have gotten 50 percent of estimated 1994 revenue without a strike, not including licensing money, and 84 percent of the average. Under full effect, the cap in 1995 would be $34,243,314 and the floor would be $26,149,000.
Transition
Teams currently over the cap (21) have three transition years before they must get their payrolls down to the cap. They must reduce their excess over the cap by 25 percent in 1995, 50 percent in 1996, 75 percent in 1997 and be at the cap by 1998. The floor for 1995 is $6,537,250.
Payrolls
Instead of 25-man rosters, the new system counts 40-man rosters. It includes $4,779,250 per team for health and pension benefits; club's medical costs; insurance; workman's compensation, payroll, unemployment and Social Security taxes; spring training allowances; meal and tip money; All-Star game expenses; travel and moving expenses; postseason pay; and college scholarships.
Counting
Possible performance bonuses are included if a player would have earned them with his previous season's statistics. For players with split contracts, the minor league salary is used before opening if he spent any time the previous season in the minors, except on a rehabilitation assignment. Termination pay counts. Deferred money is discounted to present-day value.
Free agency
For players with six or more seasons of major league service, free agency is basically unchanged. Players with four or more seasons but less than six are restricted free agents if they receive a qualifying offer from their teams, which must be 110 percent of their 1994 salary. Restricted free agents may sign offer sheets with any team through Feb. 15. Their current clubs have 10 days to match any offer.
Salary arbitration
Eliminated.
Minimum salary
Raised from $109,000 to $115,000 for players with less than one season of major league service and those players who have been released. Players with one or more seasons but less than two have a minimum of $175,000. Players with two or more seasons but less than three have a minimum of $275,000. Players with three or more season but less than four have a minimum of $500,000, except for players for are Type A or Type B under annual Elias Sports Bureau Rankings, who have a minimum of $750,000. The minor league minimum in split contracts for players on the 40-man roster for the second time is raised from $28,900 to $30,500.
Uniform player contract
Player may be released for any reason, including economic and medical. Previously, a player could be released only for lack of sufficient skills, breach of contract, failure to keep in shape, or bad conduct.