111.   Teams cannot begin signing replacement players until they get the official go-ahead from the Operations Committee.

112.   Teams could be reluctant to sign players until there is a new collective-bargaining agreement.

113.   The ability to sign a player played a big part in the way teams drafted this year.

114.   The added funds will give Robinson extra money to sign players.

115.   The affiliation allows the Mexican team to sign a player and then gives the Pirates exclusive access to him, Sirignano said.

116.   That way it would be more helpful to the team in signing other players.

117.   The Astros historically have been frugal when it comes to signing young players to multiyear contracts, though Hunsicker has made notable exceptions the past four years.

118.   The Astros have been reluctant to sign younger players to long-term deals.

119.   The ban takes away the right of general managers to sign players to individual contracts, giving that power solely to the Player Relations Committee.

120.   The bad news is that when you sign players to such contracts, you expect them to be among your most productive players.