Is Major League Baseball reserve clause fair or not?

Answer 1

Not.

The reserve clause stated that after a player's contract had expired, the team had the right to 'reserve' the player's services for as long as they desired. If the player and team could not agree on a contract, the player could not go to another team because his current team held exclusive rights to him. This meant players had no free agency and could not get fair market value for their services.

Think about it. You sign a contract to work for a company for two years. After the contract expires, you want to work for another company. But you can't do that because the company you signed the original contract with still holds exclusive rights to your services even though you don't have a current signed contract with them. That's the reserve clause.