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After World Series, free agency season arrives

Major League Baseball`s World Series has just ended, and the business season has already begun. The big names on the free agency list to follow this summer include San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds, Oakland A`s Frank Thomas and the Los Angeles Dodgers Nomar Garciaparra. They top a long list of 59 names that have signed for free agency so far.

November 11 is the deadline to file for free agency. From that day the players can discuss terms and salaries with the interested teams. About 200 players are eligible to take this course. Baseball`s labor agreement does not set a deadline for the players to sign with their teams, allowing them to examine the market beyond December or January, as was the case in the past.

Bonds` is a special story, not only because of what he could bring to his new team, namely power hitting, but also because of the additional load he carries. Twenty-one homers shy of Hank Aaron`s all-time home-run record, he could bring crowds to the stands, or keep them away, still carrying allegations against him for illegal substance use.