Curt Flood And Five MLB Players Who Changed The Free Agency Game

Curt Flood was one of the most influential baseball players of all time, and he did it off of the field. 

In 1969, Flood challenged baseball's reserve clause and refused to play after being traded and took his case to the Supreme Court, thus changing baseball's free agency game forever.

Here are a few MLB players who changed baseball's free agency in some way or another.

Alex Rodriguez

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ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 22: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees bats against the Texas Rangers in Game Six of the ALCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on October 22, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 6-1. (Pho

A-Rod is the proud owner of the largest contract in sports history. In 2008, Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees for 10 years at $275 million.

At over $27 million a season, Rodriguez opened the door for a number of huge player contracts in the sport. Before Rodriguez, it was teammate Derek Jeter who held the record for largest contract in sports history.

Stephen Strasburg

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WASHINGTON - AUGUST 10: Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals wipes his forehead during the game against the Florida Marlins at Nationals Park on August 10, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

The Nationals' stud pitcher, who was selected first overall in the MLB draft, signed with Washington for a record $15.1 million, the highest in major league history.

Before Strasburg, it was Mark Prior at $10 million, but in 2009 the Nationals made history with Strasburg and changed the way drafted players were signed forever.

Johnny Damon

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NEW YORK - AUGUST 16: Johnny Damon #18 of the Detroit Tigers salutes the crowd prior to his first at bat against the New York Yankees on August 16, 2010 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

In 2005, Damon signed with the Red Sox's bitter rival New York Yankees in free agency, breaking an unwritten rule in the two teams' storied rivalry.

Johnny Damon won the World Series in 2004 as a member of the Red Sox and was criticized for his move. However, since then, the idea of a player switching sides has lost its flame.

CC Sabathia

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ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 22: CC Sabathia #52 of the New York Yankees looks on during batting practice prior to playing the Texas Rangers in Game Six of the ALCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on October 22, 2010 in Arlington

In 2009, the New York Yankees set a new precedent for major league pitchers when they signed CC Sabathia to a seven-year, $161 million contract, the largest a pitcher has ever received in the history of baseball.

Sabathia will receive roughly $23 million a season from for the next five seasons, and his contract success has opened the door for pitchers to receive huge figures in free agency.

Curt Flood

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1986: Former Cardinal Player '58-'69 Curt Flood wearing a jersey talks to the press during the 1986 season. (Photo by: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

As already stated earlier, Curt Flood's resistance to accept a trade decades ago changed the way free agency and trades would be made forever.

Though Flood lost his case, he influenced the way players approached free agency and is likely the guy to thank for the multi-million dollar contracts star players receive today.

Patrick Clarke is a student at Towson University and a writing intern for Bleacher Report.