Major League Baseball officially ended the Pedro Alvarez/Eric Hosmer grievance today, announcing in a prepared statement that the Major League Baseball Players Association’s grievance has been resolved. Alvarez, whom the Pirates had asked to have placed on the restricted list, and Hosmer are "free to begin baseball activities immediately with their clubs." The agreement also has altered the administration of the Aug. 15 deadline, mandating that extensions can only be made by agreement between the commissioner’s office and the union.

Alvarez is now free to finalize the new contract that his agent, the Scott Boras Corporation, and the Pirates agreed to over the weekend, which calls for a major league contract with a total guaranteed value of $6.355 million. The contract is an increase over the original $6 million bonus Alvarez and the Pirates agreed to—after the Aug. 15 midnight deadline, apparently, which was the cause of the grievance.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, via e-mail, declined to comment on the Alvarez situation. Boras declined to comment on the contract  but has indicated in past interviews that the key aspect for having a player sign a major league contract, from the agent’s and player’s point of view, is to guarantee as much money as possible before the player becomes arbitration eligible. Teams usually grant major league contracts to spread out money paid to a drafted player.

Both Alvarez and Hosmer are now free to play instructional league or winter ball in Hawaii or the Arizona Fall League. Hosmer played three games in the Rookie-level Pioneer League before MLB asked the Royals to keep him off the field until the grievance was resolved, while Alvarez never signed his original deal and has yet to get on the field.

“From the beginning our primary concern was allowing Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Hosmer to begin their professional careers as quickly as possible, and this settlement accomplishes that goal,” MLB executive vice president of labor relations Rob Manfred said in a statement. “We fully support and welcome the changes to the manner in which the Aug. 15 deadline will be administered. We believe that the changes will result in a cleaner and more consistent application of the deadline which is in the best interests of both clubs and players.”