In professional sports, a journeyman is a player who is competent but does not have the status of a star. The derivation of the term is probably related to the technical meaning of the term, a worker between apprentice and master, or perhaps just that these players are often traded from team to team. The term is not usually used as a pejorative.
Journeyman players are often sought by teams because they need a special niche filled. While not excelling overall, their experience at a single position or role can often round out a team that has very good players in one or two positions, and just needs an anchor for their talents.