Six-year minor league free agency may not be as lucrative as its major league equivalent, but don't tell any of the nearly 700 players who recently become minor league free agents that it's any less important

On October 15th, players with at least six - in some cases seven - years of professional experience and who are not currently on a major league 40-man roster became free to negotiate minor league contracts with any of the thirty major league clubs

For several players, becoming a Six-Year Free Agent offers a fresh start after years of toiling in one major league organization's farm system
Curve starter Landon Jacobsen is the perfect example of a player who just might benefit from a change of scenery
A 50th round selection of the Pirates in 1999, Jacobsen pitched for seven seasons in the Bucs' minor league system, including all or parts of four with Altoona, but never received a chance to pitch in the major leagues and was never a member of Pittsburgh's 40-man roster

Players like Jacobsen, and fellow long-time Curve starter Mike Connolly, can draw inspiration from 2006 teammate Carlos Maldonado, who was a four-time minor league free agent with four different major league organizations before finally getting his shot at the big leagues with the Pirates in September

Other players like 2006 Curve Most Valuable Player Brett Roneberg are veterans who have been down the free agent path multiple times and are simply seeking an organization with an opening at either the Double-A or Triple-A level

For all free agents, while the goal remains to reach the major leagues, the objective this winter will be to simply find a job

Below is the complete list of 42 Pirates' minor leaguers who became minor league free agents on October 15th