Matt Capps, Francisco Cordero, Octavio Dotel, Ramon Hernandez and Darren Oliver were all Type A free agents under the Elias Rankings system, but they will now be treated as Type B free agents, the MLBPA announced. Teams won't have to surrender draft picks to sign them, but the players' former teams obtain a supplementary first round pick whether or not they offer arbitration tomorrow.
Meanwhile, clubs won't have to surrender a draft pick to sign one of the following six players: Heath Bell, Michael Cuddyer, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Madson, Josh Willingham and Francisco Rodriguez. Teams that lose these players after offering arbitration will obtain first round picks in the slot before the signing team plus a supplementary draft pick for a total of two selections.
Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, C.J. Wilson, David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon, Roy Oswalt, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins were also Type A free agents this offseason. They will cost one draft pick to sign. Their teams will obtain two total picks if they decline offers of arbitration to sign elsewhere, as expected. Takashi Saito and Carlos Beltran, two other Type As, cannot be offered arbitration. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the changes.
Joshua
Seems to me having one of those modified Type As is WAY more valuable than having a real Type A. Bigger signing market and you get a better draft pick (potentially as high as no. 1 overall) with no risk of moving out of the first round.
websoulsurfer
Before they would get TWO picks. The other teams 1st round pick and a supplemental round pick. Now they JUST get a supplemental round pick, but dont have to take risk of offering arbitration. Padres would have likely had to pay Heath Bell $12 + million for 2012 if they had to offer arbitration.
pastlives
as a jays fan, here’s hoping the astros sign kelly johnson
Phillies_Aces35
No, they need to save their money for Ryan Madson. Ed Wade loves himself some former Phillies.
crzycanuck
As a Jays fan, here’s hoping they re-sign Johnson. We need a 2B and there arn’t many good ones left on the market. That to go along with the fact they don’t have a ML-ready 2B in the farm system makes it even more imperative to sign him.
Jose_Bautista
Yes, he is probably the best 2B out there. I’d try and re sign him.
Andy Repinski
move Lawrie back to second.
sports33
Not. Happening. Ever.
snapcase8p
Detroit Tigers say, “hello”.
Commander_Nate
Ramon Hernandez will no longer cost a pick, eh? See ya, Mathis.
Christopher Rydo
And while we’re at it, Heath Bell probably just got himself a whole new grip of suitors… (ditto Matt Capps, Kelly Johnson, et al…)
Mike Lynch
Capps didn’t gain in suitors as he won’t be offered arbitration.
mmiller54
The twins may have gained a supplemental draft pick as it is common for teams to have gentleman’a agreements with type b players not to accept arb.
Mike Lynch
The Twins will offer Arbitration to Kubel and Cuddyer as they will decline as they are seeking muliti-year deals (Most likely the last for Cuddyer). They will not offer Capps arbitration as he is categorized as a closer and will instantly accept as he will make $9-10M in arbitration instead of the $5-7M that he will get on the open market.
notsureifsrs
they don’t have to offer arbitration anymore to receive compensation. it will be type B compensation, but that’s better than the no-compensation they were going to get before this
Mike Lynch
You are correct, the fact the the Twins get a pick for Capps without offering arbitration is new information since I posted. The Twins could end up with 6 picks in the top 50-60 (#2 overall, a 2nd 1st rounder for Cuddyer, 3 sandwich picks and #2 in 2nd round).
slider32
Most of the top players come in the first 10 picks, after that its a crap shoot. The rest of the teams are trying to land a Kemp or Pujols, but that doesn’t happen very often.
Marco
I wonder how they will decide from Type A and Modified Type A…or is it just for this year?
Perceptron
Just this year. The Elias rankings will be eliminated next year. Instead, each team can offer a player a ‘qualifying’ contract, and if declined it will net them compensation. Supposedly, it will be $12.4M next year.
MichaelProcton
Average of the top 125 league salaries.
Lunchbox45
which will pretty much mean the end of teams hoarding fringe players to collect picks, not many players will turn down a 12.4 million 1 year deal.. Probably only 5-7 per off season
Mike Lynch
You are correct. Going forward, with the requirement that you must be with the club all season and the $12+M offer, the only Type A FA will be star players like Pujols and higher end starters.
Jay
Ok this thing has confused the crap out of me.Lets say the Marlins sign Reyes.Do the Mets get two picks or just one
Perceptron
Two, same as before.
johnsilver
Not trying to pick an argument with you again but looks like you got that torn down draft ya were looking for here.. It is 100% thrown against large market clubs on the draft for the most part, unless KC and Houston (for example) start throwing around large bonuses and don’t really expect either to begin doing that all of a sudden.
Jay
Not really because we still do not had a hard cap on draft picks
johnsilver
Penalties for going overboard are stiff enough to stop that for the most part on teams that would say..Go down and grab guys on 10th..20th round and give them large amounts like we had tha chat about a few days back.
Even big market teams like that #1, whether or not is is like the 30th overall pick or not.
slider32
If you not picking in the first 10 then its might not be good to pick at all in the first round. First round picks make 2 to 10 million, and very few later picks make it to the majors compared to the top 10. Your just as likely to get a good player like Pedroia, Either, Kemp, in the later rounds. Look at that stud for the Rays Matt Moore.
websoulsurfer
In the draft there is now a “luxury tax” for teams that spend over a certain amount. That means teams like Pittsburgh will no longer be able to sign top amateurs even if they have the 1st pick, because it would cripple them on signings further down.
For the big market teams its no big deal to pay a luxury tax.
The divide between the haves and the have nots will just get bigger.
MaineSox
Paying a 75-100% tax and losing picks in future drafts is definitely a big deal for large market teams.
This hurts small market teams disproportionately, but it also hurts larger market teams who spend big money in the draft (like the Red Sox).
Lunchbox45
its brutal…
but at the same time, I think the red sox, jays, etc still end up getting the same players, over slot, internationally. However the players themselves will be taking a cut, theres less money to go around and teams wont be so willing to throw dollars at overslot kids..
I think the international market and high school kids are the ones who really suffer from this new rule
crzycanuck
You think Tyler Beede is kicking himself now? Anthopoulos offered him a lot of money but ended up committing to Vanderbilt. I tried talking some sense to him on Twitter (yes, I know lmao) and so did AA. Now, on top of losing mucho dinero, he has to risk getting injured for 3 years before he can re-enter the draft. Of course when he didn’t get the money he wanted he said God had other plans for him. Ya, my big smelly foot He did. Would you like fries with that?
slider32
I’ve noticed that the bigger markets have picked up ex top ten picks to improve their rosters, since they can’t draft them. Yanks have A-Rod, Swisher, CC, and Tex, the Sox have Gonzo, Beckett, Drew, and the more #1 you have the better.
johnsilver
Exactly.. Having to pay the luxury tax would be bad enough, but losing a future #1 was one of the worst things imaginable to come out of the draft and seems aimed at totally stopping large market teams from targetting players who had strong commitments to college.. Draft 3-5 every season, then doing their best to sign at least 2 to sign.
I saw nothing so far about 2 sport contracts and if they were affected.
from how Selig seems to want players to sign for nothing thus far, he may have done away with those so they sign with NFL/NBA teams also.
websoulsurfer
BS. Paying a luxury tax has NEVER stopped a big market team from going after the players they wanted.
It wont stop them now either because if they lose 75% of how much they go over the amount they are allotted in the draft or even a draft pick to sign a Bryce Harper they will simply spend the big bucks that year on a free agent.
MaineSox
Really? The draft hasn’t meant anything to the Red Sox? Is that why they spend $10M+ on it every year? You don’t think paying a 100% tax plus losing as much as two first round draft picks is going to give them pause? A team that nearly refuses to pay the luxury tax for the major league payroll is suddenly not going to care about a luxury tax on draft picks? Sure, sounds reasonable.
Phillies_Aces35
So if Miami signs Ryan Madson we could get a top 10 pick? I assume the rules would be the same but I didn’t see it clarified in the original post…
and if the Red Sox, (just throwing out a name) were to sing Pujols, Reyes, and Madson, those three picks would just be slotted in front of their first round pick?
MaineSox
Madson yes, but Pujols and Reyes will be treated like normal type A’s; the Red Sox would lose picks signing them.
kurtits
Does that mean the modified type As push back each draft position? Because if the Astros sign one, does that mean every teams will slide back one pick? Confusing.
Marco
Pujols and reyes will cost draft picks from the team that signs them. The phillies will receive a slotted pick in front of the team that signs madson. I havent heard about draft slots being limited to the last 16
stl_cards16
So are the Type B’s gone then?
bla
Type B’s for this season will not change but in the future is questionable.
John W
So a “modified type A” is worth more than a “regular type A” because the signing team doesn’t lose a pick and the team losing the player can get what used to be a “protected pick”?
Joshua
Certainly seems that way so far. Very confusing.
McCutchenistheTruth
Ya that’s what it seems like, and that’s moronic. No way this is real. Article writer, clarify!
Lunchbox45
the modified A is meant to allow players to get decent contracts from teams who were previously unwilling to parttake because its stupid to lose a pick for a reliever.
Ted Matula
hard to fathom guys like Hernandez and Kelly Johnson, as well as all those old relievers, netting type A compensation in draft, while Mark Buerhle will sign for 3/$45 or maybe even four years and net type B compensation.
Guest 5965
It’s not very hard to understand… Type b’s are the same, type A’s are
the same and modifed type A’s mean you get slotted one up form the team
that signs you (ex blue jays have the 17th pick or somethting theyv sign
a modded type A then they’ll have the eighteenth pick and the other
team gets a slot infront of that, which is 17) I donno if top 15 picks
are protected for modded type A’s but I would guess so. Also type A is
better than modded type A (two picks, (first and comp) is better than one (just a first)).
Marco
“A Club that signs a player subject to compensation will forfeit its first round
selection, unless it selects in the top 10, in which case it will forfeit its second highest
selection in the draft.” per mlb website
Mike Lynch
For all 3 tiers of Type A’s you still get the comp pick. The variance is:
True Type A – Signing teams draft pick
Modified Type A – Slot in front of singing teams draft pick
Other Type A – Additional Comp pick
iains
Sounds like for the originating team, best possible outcome is modified type A. They would get one spot above what they would have got for the true type As
stl_cards16
Lol. No. They will still be picking in the same position of the draft, just with an extra pick behind them.
Say the team with the 20th pick signs your “modified type A” You get the pick right in front of theirs. So there are still 19 picks in front of yours. It just moves them back on to the 21st pick.
Diablo 2
Ramon Hernandez Hello… Mathis see ya later and good luck…Heath Bell HELLO knowing now that he won’t cost a pick..then after Bell sign Burhle/Kuroda!
baseballz
Wow, how on earth did St Louis manage to get two first round picks for Dotel, good for them for asking for him instead of any of the other blue jay bullpen guys. That trade is looking better for St Louis all the time; once we learn who the 6 players to be named later are then it could be quite a haul.
notsureifsrs
it really is a strange perversion of the whole system’s design to award compensation without requiring a team to do anything for it
B
Cards only receive comp pick for Dotel and most likely Cards will receive about 1-2 million in cash and no players for Rasmus deal.
stl_cards16
I believe they will still get a pick for Jackson too. They also have Rzep for, 4 more years and a World Series. Guess it turned out ok.
Lunchbox45
pffft, you call that ok?
Frank Drebin
They dumped the head case and his daddy and won the World Series.Yes, that’s ok.
Patrick OKennedy
I doubt they even offer arbitration to Dotel, seeing as how they declined his option.
stl_cards16
Key Words: “whether or not they offer arbitration tomorrow”
Patrick OKennedy
Didn’t notice that verbage, thanks. I guess that’s the trade off.
In the case of K Rod, I believe he cut a deal with Milwaukee that he would not be offered arby.
jedicouncil
i dont think they even have to offer arb to dotel to get that pick, they knocked him down to a type b and its basically a free pick for doing so
jedicouncil
they only get a type b comp pick for dotel
MetsMagic
Huh. If they don’t cost picks anymore, I’d like the Mets to go after Ramon Hernandez and try to bring Darren Oliver back.
websoulsurfer
Padres just lucked out on Heath Bell. They get a sandwich pick without having to offer arbitration or a qualifying offer of $12+.
Amish_willy
Everything from this post says they do have to offer him arbitration. But they will luck out since now they’re going to get a first round pick PLUS a supplemental round pick. Prior if he would have signed with a club whose pick was protected they would have ended up a supplemental round pick as well as said teams second round pick, from the wording above they will now get the coveted first round pick.
Patrick OKennedy
Nobody gets compensation without offering arbitration. That ticker at the top of the page still applies, but it won’t be back next year!
McCutchenistheTruth
Wrong
“Teams won’t have to surrender draft picks to sign them, but the players’
former teams obtain a supplementary first round pick whether or not
they offer arbitration tomorrow.”
Read the last clause.
Amish_willy
That is in reference to the new type B’s, which Bell is not, so websoulsurfer’s point about the Padres not having to offer Bell arbitration is inaccurate.
Lunchbox45
I’m assuming that the first 15 picks are still protected for the modified A’s
meaning if the Astros sign Kelly Johnson, the jays would get the pick before the Astros 2nd round pick, not their first..
Correct?
jedicouncil
i thought it was the worst 10 that are protected now, the 15 are from the old CBA and no longer applies
Frank Drebin
Irrelevant. Astros won’t be signing Kelly Johnson. Stay in reality.
Lunchbox45
its a hypothetical situation.