Free agents can now negotiate with any team, but it would be a surprise to see more than a few Type As sign in the next two weeks. Clubs forfeit a top draft pick if they sign Type A free agents before the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to departing free agents. That means teams are probably going to wait until after November 23rd to sign Type A free agents who aren't guaranteed offers of arbitration. If the player's former team doesn't offer arbitration he won't cost anything despite his Type A ranking, so the signing team gets to keep its draft pick.
Some Type A free agents – Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee, for example – are definitely getting offers of arbitration from their former clubs. But the group of Type As below won't necessarily see offers of arbitration, so it seems likely that teams will wait until after the 23rd to finalize deals. Their patience could allow them to hold onto picks in the 2011 draft.
Grant Balfour, Frank Francisco, Jason Frasor, Vladimir Guerrero, Matt Guerrier, Ramon Hernandez, Paul Konerko, Derrek Lee, Bengie Molina, Magglio Ordonez, Carl Pavano, A.J. Pierzynski, Manny Ramirez, Arthur Rhodes, Takashi Saito, Miguel Tejada and Dan Wheeler could certainly re-sign with their former clubs in the next two weeks, but it seems unlikely that they'll reach deals with new teams before November 23rd.
So if Manny Ramirez signed today the Sox would receive compensation picks, even if they haven’t yet offered arbitration (which you assume they won’t do)?
The White Sox would obviously offer Manny arbitration if someone else signed him.
If Manny signs today, White Sox get two comp picks.
– BNS
If someone else signed Manny now, the White Sox couldn’t offer him arbitration. They would never get the chance to do so.
– BNS
A few years ago, Milwaukee signed Cubs C Jason Kendall. AFTER THE SIGNING, the Cubs offered arbitration and received a supplemental pick.
another one is Scott Downs
downs is a lock to get offered arb.
If he is offered, he’d be a moron not to accept it. Paying a middle reliever the kind of money Downs expects AND giving up a first round choice for the right to do it is the sort of stupid thing only the Omar Minayas and Brian Sabeans of the baseball world would do.
Is there a list around here somewhere that shows the players that have been offered arbitration? Is there a list that shows those that declined?
There’s usually one as soon as reports of arb offers start coming in. Any day now, I’d expect to see it get moving.
No player has been offered arb yet. There’s no real reason to offer arb before the deadline.
– BNS
Thank you for posting this post! I’ve always been confused what happens if a player is signed before the deadline, this is a great and informative post.