Players can file for salary arbitration after their third year of MLB service and for free agency after their sixth year. McKelvey was a consultant to the Players Relations Committee and sat in on several salary arbitration hearings. “Same result,” he said, “free agents don’t perform as well during their first year with a new team.” Seven years after he died of a heart attack in New York City, UMass put his name in front of the Department of Sport Management. Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for decades in the Pioneer Valley.