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Originally Posted by Kidnapped18

George Wright, who had been the greatest player in the land for a decade, with the Red Stockings of Cincinnati and then Boston, in 1879 led the Providence Grays to the championship. On April 21, 1880, however, he declined the club’s final contract offer, perhaps preferring to stay in Boston and mind his sporting-goods business. As a reserved player, however, he was obligated to play for Providence and no other; he elected to sit out the season (although he did inexplicably play in a game for Boston on May 29).


From John Thorn's Baseball in the Garden of Eden

I think that Wright was a free agent at the time. While checking out George Wright, I discovered that he was the first National League Batter.