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New York Notes: Wright, A-Rod, Tejada, Ellsbury

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Here’s the latest from both Big Apple teams…

  • Alex Rodriguez’s health problems have made him the Yankees’ full-time DH while David Wright’s spinal stenosis makes him questionable for even the modest 120-game plan the Mets originally slated for the star third baseman.  As Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, the health issues faced by these two stars have led to roster flexibility problems for both teams.  The Mets don’t have a left-handed hitting utility option available, and Sherman suggests that players like Yangervis Solarte, Derek Dietrich, Luis Valbuena could be good fits as potential trade targets if they’re made available.  The Yankees could use both an extra reliever and a versatile infielder as their 25th man, since depth is a need with so many aging stars in both the lineup and rotation.  This is a reason why the Yankees didn’t want to give a big league deal to a veteran infielder, as the club hopes Rob Refsnyder can also learn to play third.  On the external help front, Sherman suggests that Cody Asche makes sense as a trade target when healthy.
  • Signing Ruben Tejada to a minor league deal would’ve greatly helped the Yankees’ utility situation and also given a bit of a PR tweak to the Mets at the same time, Newsday’s David Lennon observes.  Tejada rejected the Yankees’ minor league offer for a one-year, $1.5MM Major League deal with the Cardinals.
  • X-rays and a CT scan were negative on Jacoby Ellsbury’s right wrist after the outfielder was hit by a pitch yesterday, though he tells reporters (including Lennon) and his wrist “is in a bad spot” and may need some time for the inflammation to die down.  With this and the Yankees’ spring schedule in mind, Ellsbury likely won’t play until Thursday at the earliest, as per Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
  • There’s an open spot in the Mets’ bullpen with Josh Edgin still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin looks at some of the roster logistics that could factor into the competition between Erik Goeddel and Jim Henderson.  It could end up being a short-term gig for either pitcher as Edgin hopes to be back by the start of May.

Latest On Edwin Encarnacion’s Contract Talks

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Edwin Encarnacion expressed doubts about his future with the Blue Jays, telling Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun that he feels “they don’t have it in their plans for me to stay here.”  The slugger is “really disappointed that nothing has happened [in contract talks], but it’s not my decision,” as he wants to keep playing in Toronto beyond this season.

Encarnacion also commented on the lack of progress in extension talks earlier this week, telling ESPN’s Enrique Rojas that the two sides hadn’t begun discussing money yet, as there was still disagreement over how many years an extension would cover.  An unnamed Jays player and “Encarnacion loyalist” told Elliott a few days ago that he’d heard the club had only offered Encarnacion a one-year extension at the Winter Meetings and then a two-year offer later.  Blue Jays president/CEO Mark Shapiro offered no comments on the Encarnacion negotiations when talking to reporters, including John Lott of VICE Sports (Twitter links), as Shapiro noted that there would be a better chance at a positive outcome if the contract talks remained private.

Of course, there’s already been quite a bit of media buzz about both Encarnacion and (even moreso) Jose Bautista’s extension talks with the two sluggers both set for free agency next winter and both having been vocal about their desire to stay in Toronto.  It’s hard to discuss one player’s case without discussing the other, as the Jays are faced with the choice of extending two players to huge contracts through their mid-30’s (Encarnacion is 33) and late 30’s (Bautista is 35), extending just one of them or letting both walk, which would result in both fan disappointment and a gigantic hit to the Jays’ lineup.

Though Encarnacion is the younger of the two, he could be the bigger question mark in terms of long-term durability.  Encarnacion is essentially already a full-time DH, and he’s been hampered by injuries to his quad, back and finger over the last two years.  An abscessed tooth and an oblique strain have kept Encarnacion from any game action this spring, though he told Elliott that “the oblique pain is minor” and he’s just being cautious in order to avoid a greater injury that would cost him time in the regular season.

On the flip side, Encarnacion has generally been a pretty durable player over the last four seasons and obviously his recent injuries haven’t impacted his offensive production.  Assuming that he hits as usual in 2016, he’ll be in line for a massive free agent contract next offseason, especially given how next year’s free agent class is thin on elite talent.

Encarnacion is a strong bet to land at least a four-year deal next winter, so if the unnamed teammate’s comment was accurate, then a one- or two-year extension offer is unrealistically low on the Blue Jays’ part.  Then again, it’s not uncommon in any negotiation to open with a very high (or low) dollar amount or number of years just on the off-chance that other side accepts, or at least to set a baseline for the talks.  Encarnacion set Opening Day as the deadline for extension talks, however, so it seems as if the two sides will need to make some quick progress if a new deal is to be reached this spring.

Sox Notes: ChiSox, BoSox, Sale, Craig, Loney, LaRoche

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The Red Sox and White Sox not only share similar nicknames, but they’ve also shared struggles in each of the last two seasons.  In fact, Boston and Chicago have identical 149-175 records over that stretch.  Here’s the latest from both shades of Sox…

  • Chris Sale had some harsh words for executive VP Kenny Williams in the wake of the Adam LaRoche controversy, though this hasn’t had any impact on Sale’s future with the team, a White Sox official tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  There is “no chance” Sale would be traded, the official said: “There was no chance in the offseason and no chance now. We’re building our team around Chris Sale.”
  • Just in case the relationship between Sale and the White Sox has indeed gone south, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe opines that the Red Sox should make a trade inquiry.  Abraham admits that Sale and and the Pale Hose “will probably make peace,” though this piece gives an idea of the gigantic price Chicago would demand for its ace.  Abraham suggests Boston could offer a trade package that includes Allen Craig and $18MM of his salary, plus young righty Anderson Espinoza and three other top-tier prospects.  In my opinion, I think even this impressive offer wouldn’t be enough to land a valuable asset like Sale, who is prized for not just his ability but also his contract — $21.15MM through 2017 and then club options for 2018 and 2019 worth a respective $12.5MM and $13.5MM.
  • While Craig may not be part of a blockbuster Red Sox trade package, Cafardo also suggests the first baseman could be a fit for the White Sox with LaRoche gone.  Chicago seems ready to fill LaRoche’s DH spot with Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia, though since Boston would inevitably be footing almost all of the $21MM remaining on Craig’s contract, it might not be a bad flier to take (especially since Cabrera and Garcia are coming off poor seasons).  Craig is trying to revive his career after two rough seasons that dropped his stock to the point that he was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster last year.
  • In other first base trade speculation, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times wonders if James Loney could be a fit for the White Sox.  The Rays have been unsuccessfully shopping Loney all winter and are reportedly willing to cover some of the $8MM Loney is owed in 2016.  Like LaRoche, Loney is also a left-handed hitter, perhaps making him a more ideal complement to the right-handed Garcia and Jose Abreu.
  • LaRoche’s dispute with the White Sox about his son’s presence in the clubhouse has drawn a lot of response from around baseball, with ESPN’s Buster Olney (subscription required) collecting some reaction from unnamed officials and front office personnel.  Most observes were surprised by the unusual nature of LaRoche’s demand that his son be a constant presence with the club and the seeming lack of communication between Kenny Williams, Rick Hahn and Robin Ventura about the situation.
  • “Honestly, I don’t think I was talking about the Red Sox,” David Price told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about his early comments about his ideal new team.  Price was focused on joining a team with a pipeline of young talent, and was initially thinking about the Cardinals and Cubs rather than the Red Sox since he “wasn’t as familiar” with Boston’s farm system.  The Cards and Cubs ended up being the next two highest bidders for Price’s services this winter, though their offers reportedly fell well short of the seven-year, $217MM contract Price signed with Boston since the Red Sox were intent on landing the ace.
  • One final note from Cafardo’s column: he notes that Red Sox infield prospect Marco Hernandez could be a trade target for other clubs in the wake of Hernandez’s strong Spring Training performance.  Hernandez, ranked as the 12th-best prospect in Boston’s system by Baseball America, is a 23-year-old who posted a combined .305/.330/.454 slash line over 484 PA at Double and Triple-A last season.  While his bat is still developing, Hernandez already has value as a utility infielder able to play second, third and shortstop.

Quick Hits: Chacin, Morneau, Wright, Fowler, Cardinals

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Jhoulys Chacin has pitched well for the Braves in his Spring Training outings and, perhaps most importantly for the righty, his troublesome shoulder is feeling good.  “When I signed, my mindset was just to come to Spring Training as strong as I could be and to just pitch the only way I know how to pitch….I just want to go through all of this year and the rest of my career with my shoulder strong,” Chacin tells MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.  It would be a nice bargain for Atlanta if Chacin returned to the form he showed when he was a healthy and productive member of the Rockies staff, as Chacin is only signed to a minor league deal.  Here’s some more from around baseball…

  • “Nothing has materialized” for Justin Morneau this offseason, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes, though the veteran first baseman isn’t announcing his retirement.  Morneau said in November that he was adamant about continuing his career after working to come back from concussion and neck issues, though those same injuries limited him to just 49 games in 2015.  Health questions notwithstanding, Morneau did hit .316/.363/.487 with 20 homers in 732 PA over the last two seasons and he won the NL batting title in 2014, so it’s rather surprising that his market has been almost entirely quiet.  The Indians were the only club known to have interest and they went with Mike Napoli instead due to Napoli’s right-handed bat.  Morneau is the last member of MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents still looking for a new team.
  • Also from Cafardo, he notes that Red Sox right-hander Steven Wright is out of options and “a few teams are watching Wright’s camp with great anticipation.”  Wright, a knuckleballer, could still make Boston’s big league roster as a reliever or possibly as the team’s fifth starter if Eduardo Rodriguez is not healthy to start the year.
  • Dexter Fowler spoke to Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com about the surprising turn of events that saw the outfielder re-sign with the Cubs.  Despite media reports that had Fowler all but officially signed with the Orioles, Fowler said he and Baltimore “never really were close” to an agreement.  “They wanted me to pay them what they said the draft choice I was costing them was valued at.  They wanted me to pay them for the pick.  So we said, OK, then give me an opt-out after one year, and they said that’s something they won’t do,” Fowler said.  Casey Close, Fowler’s agent, also commented on the situation last month and had some harsh words for both the Orioles and the media.
  • Also from Gammons, he notes that it isn’t the Cardinals’ style to make rash moves, so the club is likely to be cautious in gauging their response to Jhonny Peralta’s injury absence.  St. Louis was linked to Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed earlier today, though Gammons thinks Arizona wouldn’t settle for anything less than a top minor leaguer like righty Luke Weaver (ranked by Baseball America as the Cards’ fourth-best prospect).
  • Matthew Bowman is “more likely than not” to make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster as a reliever, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com writes.  Bowman was plucked off of the Mets’ roster in December’s Rule 5 draft.  The 24-year-old has pitched mostly as a starter in his minor league career and it would be somewhat of a surprise to see him pass several veteran options to lock down a bullpen job.  As a Rule 5 pick, of course, Bowman has to stay on the St. Louis 25-man roster all season or else be offered back to the Mets.

AL East Notes: Rays, Moncada, Jays, Sanchez

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Here’s the latest from around the AL East…

  • The Rays added several veterans to an already-crowded outfield and first base mix, leaving youngsters Mikie Mahtook and Richie Shaffer disappointed but understanding about probable Triple-A assignments, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  It’s not out of the question that a roster spot could open up in the event of an injury or a trade.  The Rays have been rumored as a possible trade partner for teams looking for outfield help, and the club has been shopping first baseman James Loney for much of the winter.
  • Yoan Moncada isn’t likely to be playing his natural second base position with the Red Sox as long as Dustin Pedroia is in Boston, but the Sox want to see Moncada prove himself defensively at his “base position” before shuffling him around the diamond, WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford writes.  Moncada made 23 errors in 71 A-level games at second last season, so there’s certainly still work to be done in that regard, though scouts have long felt Moncada has the athleticism to play third base or the outfield.
  • Several players vying for spots on the Blue Jays roster are out of options, which the Toronto Sun’s Ken Fidlin feels could impact the team’s decisions for Opening Day.  Of the four outfielders (Domonic Brown, Ezequiel Carrera, Darrell Ceciliani, Junior Lake) competing for a backup spot, for instance, Ceciliani is the only one with a minor league option remaining.  The battle for the fifth starter’s job is similarly complicated since Aaron Sanchez, Gavin Floyd and Jesse Chavez are out of options while Drew Hutchison isn’t.
  • The fifth starter competition is further complicated by the fact that Sanchez and Floyd both pitched well in Grapefruit League action today, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith writes.  The Jays would obviously love to see heralded prospect Sanchez in their rotation, though the team also knows it use Sanchez as a setup man since he thrived in the role last season.  Alternatively, Sanchez could start while Chavez and Floyd go to the bullpen, as Chavez has swingman experience and relief work could be easier on Floyd’s arm given his injury history.
  • Also from the AL East, MLBTR’s Zach Links spoke to Russell Martin about the catcher’s free agent experience last winter.

Finalized First Round Order For 2016 Draft

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Ian Desmond was the last of the 20 free agents issued a qualifying offer to sign a contract, so with the compensation picks all settled, the selection order for first round of the 2016 amateur draft has now been finalized.  Eleven of those QO free agents joined new teams, leading to quite a bit of shuffling from the original draft order set at the end of the regular season.  MLB.com has the full order of all 40 rounds, and here is how the first round shakes out:

1. Phillies
2. Reds
3. Braves
4. Rockies
5. Brewers
6. Athletics
7. Marlins
8. Padres
9. Tigers
10. White Sox
11. Mariners
12. Red Sox
13. Rays
14. Indians
15. Twins
16. Angels
17. Astros
18. Yankees
19. Mets
20. Dodgers
21. Blue Jays
22. Pirates
23. Cardinals

COMPENSATION ROUND (bonus picks given to teams who issued qualifying offers to players who signed elsewhere; picks are allotted in inverse order of 2015 record)

24. Padres (for Justin Upton signing with the Tigers)
25. Padres (for Ian Kennedy signing with the Royals)
26. White Sox (for Jeff Samardzija signing with the Giants)
27. Orioles (for Wei-Yin Chen signing with the Marlins)
28. Nationals (for Jordan Zimmermann signing with the Tigers)
29. Nationals (for Ian Desmond signing with the Rangers)
30. Rangers (for Yovani Gallardo signing with the Orioles)
31. Mets (for Daniel Murphy signing with the Nationals)
32. Dodgers (for Zack Greinke signing with the Diamondbacks)
33. Cardinals (for John Lackey signing with the Cubs)
34. Cardinals (for Jason Heyward signing with the Cubs)

The compensation round is followed by the Competitive Balance A-Round, which isn’t yet set in stone since these picks can be traded.  The Dodgers weren’t part of the competitive balance lottery but they’re guaranteed the 36th overall pick for failing to sign Kyle Funkhouser with the 35th pick of last year’s draft.  Right now, the 35-41 picks are respectively owned by the Reds, Dodgers, A’s, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Braves and Pirates.

From the original draft order, the Diamondbacks (13th overall pick), Orioles (15), Nationals (18), Giants (19), Rangers (23), Royals (27) and Cubs (28) all surrendered their first-rounders to sign a free agent, though some of these teams recouped picks when their own QO free agents signed elsewhere.  The Rangers, for instance, were undoubtedly more open to signing Desmond and giving up what was at the time the 19th overall pick since they already knew they had pick from Gallardo coming 11 slots later down the draft board.

Baltimore gave up the 14th overall pick for Gallardo, though the O’s also had an extra pick coming their way for Chen.  They also could’ve been emboldened by their deep draft class overall — the Orioles have five picks in the #27-91 range of the draft, thanks to the Chen pick, their two regular selections, a Competitive Balance B-Round pick and the 69th overall pick as compensation for failing to sign Jonathan Hughes last year.  The Orioles could’ve potentially had two more picks to add to this bounty via the QO, though they re-signed Chris Davis and Matt Wieters actually accepted his qualifying offer.

The Padres stand out as the most obvious beneficiaries of this year’s qualifying offer class.  San Diego now owns three of the top 25 selections and (counting its top pick in the Competitive Balance B class), five of the top 71 picks.  It represents a great opportunity for the Padres to reload their farm system after dealing so many prospects in the 2014-15 offseason.  The Pads top pick was protected, so an argument could be made that the club surrendered a lower selection to land a QO player of their own, though it’s maybe not a surprise that San Diego showed caution after last winter’s buying spree didn’t result in much success on the field.

Of the teams with protected top-10 picks, only Detroit and Miami signed qualifying offer free agents.  They had to give up second-rounders for signing Zimmermann and Chen, while the Tigers also had to surrender their third-round pick for signing Upton.

Mariners Release Gaby Sanchez

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The Mariners have announced that first baseman Gaby Sanchez has been released.  The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with the M’s in January.

Sanchez owns an impressive .291/.382/.481 line over 714 career plate appearances against left-handed pitching, which made him a possible platoon candidate alongside the lefty-swinging Adam Lind.  The Mariners, however, signed another righty bat in Korean first baseman Dae-Ho Lee a few weeks after inking Sanchez.  Between Lee and former top prospect Jesus Montero also competing for the right-handed platoon role, the writing was on the wall for Sanchez when he didn’t produce much in limited spring action.

Sanchez has a .254/.332/.413 slash line and 61 homers over 2271 career PA with the Marlins and Pirates from 2008-14, highlighted by an All-Star game appearance in 2011.  He spent 2015 in Japan with the Rakuten Golden Eagles, posting a .720 OPS over 232 PA.

NL East Notes: Jennings, Ozuna, Wright, Flores

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The Marlins have filed a grievance over the $100K salary that the Nationals are allegedly paying former Miami GM/manager Dan Jennings, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.  Jennings joined the Washington front office as a special assistant to GM Mike Rizzo in January after being fired by Miami after the season.  Jennings still had three years and $5.8MM remaining on his Marlins contract, including $1.5MM for 2016, and Miami owes Jennings the difference between that $1.5MM figure and his new salary for the 2016 season.  The Marlins aren’t pleased about still being on the hook for $1.4MM and they claim their NL East rival is paying Jennings “well below a salary commensurate with his responsibilities,” Jackson writes.

Here’s some more from around the NL East…

  • Marcell Ozuna is looking at 2016 as “a fresh start” and he’s happy to still be with the Marlins, the outfielder told Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald.  Ozuna was widely assumed to be on his way out of Miami after a tough season and a reported personality clash with owner Jeffrey Loria, though a trade never came to fruition and he’s still slated to be the Marlins’ regular center fielder.  Manager Don Mattingly noted that many players struggle to adjust in their second seasons in the bigs, and that “almost every club was calling us about [Ozuna]…because people see he’s that kind of talent.”
  • Almost all of Wilmer Flores’ spring action has come at third base, leading Newsday’s David Lennon to wonder if the Mets have even more concerns about David Wright’s health.  The veteran third baseman is scheduled to make his spring debut in a minor league game on Monday with an eye towards joining the Mets later in the week.  The club was originally planning to limit Wright to around 130 games in order to manage his spinal stenosis, though Wright said last month that “you can’t have a plan” given the condition’s unpredictability.  Flores has played only 27 games at third in the bigs and just one in the last two seasons, so the extra time could merely be the Mets’ way of getting him re-acclimated for an increased workload at the position.  If Flores ends up spending more time than expected at third, Lennon notes, that will leave New York thin on backup options around the infield.
  • In other NL East news from earlier today on MLBTR, the Mets are looking for a backup catcher and the Nationals have a June 15th deadline to decide on GM Mike Rizzo’s two-year contract option.

Nationals Have June 15 Deadline On Mike Rizzo’s Two-Year Contract Option

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The Nationals’ club option on GM/president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo actually covers both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and the team has a June 15 deadline to decide whether or not to exercise its two-year option and keep Rizzo in the fold, The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga reports.  Svrluga reported in November that the Nats held options on Rizzo’s services for both 2017 and 2018 (the GM was previously thought to only have a 2017 option), though with the news that both options have to be picked up at once, it creates an interesting new wrinkle in the Nationals’ eventual decision.

It’s fairly unusual to see a two-year option, though as that second Svrluga link illustrates, Nationals upper management tends to approach decisions different than most ownership groups (with no small amount of controversy involved).  Still, when Rizzo signed his contract extension in August 2013, all signs pointed to Rizzo remaining atop Washington’s baseball ops pyramid for years to come.  It was only a year ago that Rizzo seemed to have as much job security as any executive in baseball — the Nats were coming off two postseason appearances in three years and were seen as World Series favorites for 2015.

Unfortunately for both Rizzo and the Nationals, they finished with just a 83-79 record in a season marred by injuries to key stars, down seasons by regulars and the ugly dugout choking incident between Jonathan Papelbon and Bryce Harper.  Manager Matt Williams was fired and replaced by Dusty Baker, though that hiring wasn’t without its own bit of drama since the Nats previously seemed ready to hire Bud Black before he rejected a lowball contract offer.

While Rizzo kept his job for 2016, “his situation can be considered tenuous,” Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post wrote in November.  It’s fair to say that Rizzo was already facing pressure heading into the last guaranteed year of his contract, though this deadline set just two and a half months into the season adds a few more degrees to his hot seat.  If the Nats get off to a slow start, that could be enough for ownership to decide that a front office shakeup is necessary rather than make another two-year commitment to Rizzo on June 15.  It’s also possible, Svrluga opines, that Rizzo and the team could re-negotiate a new contract this spring.  Svrluga doubts the Nats would simply let the June 15 deadline pass and allow Rizzo to be a lame duck for the rest of the season, as that would be an awkward situation for all parties.

NL East Notes: Klentak, Marlins, Maddux, Moore, Drew

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Here’s the latest from around the NL East…

  • Phillies GM Matt Klentak has already been through rebuilding (while with the Orioles) and spending on big free agents (while with the Angels) in previous front office jobs, and he tells Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he hopes both experiences will help him in the initial and latter stages of the Phils’ rebuild.  Perhaps Klentak’s best example of a successful rebuild, however, is how his own team rebuilt in the early 2000’s to form the core of the squad that won five NL East titles and the 2008 World Series.
  • Edwin Jackson is battling some younger arms to win a spot in the Marlins rotation, and the veteran righty tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he has unfinished business as a starting pitcher.  “I still look at myself as a starter.  There’s still something I want to prove to myself, not to anyone else,” Jackson said.  Pitching exclusively as a reliever in 2015, Jackson posted a 3.07 ERA, 1.9 K/BB rate and 6.5 K/9 over 55 2/3 innings, though advanced metrics indicate he was perhaps a bit fortunate to manage such a low ERA.  Still, it was a big improvement over Jackson’s rough previous two seasons in the Cubs rotation and now he’s hoping to rebound in Miami.
  • In another item from Jackson, Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill expects big things from his lineup, saying he’d “put our position player talent against anybody in the National League.”  Miami scored the second-fewest runs in baseball last season, yet Hill expects a big improvement thanks to Barry Bonds’ contributions as hitting coach, more development from young players and better health (most notably in the case of Giancarlo Stanton).
  • Pitching coach Mike Maddux may prove to be the Nationals’ best offseason acquisition, the Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell writes.  Hiring the very well-regarded Maddux represents a new step for the franchise, as Boswell notes the Nationals have rarely invested much money in managers or coaching staffs.
  • Tyler Moore took some grounders at third base seemingly just as a routine drill, though as MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes, versatility at a new position could help save Moore’s job.  Moore is out of options and faces a roster crunch to make the Nationals’ Opening Day roster.  Learning the hot corner is easier said than done, of course, especially since Moore has never played anywhere besides first, left or right in his eight-year professional career.
  • Stephen Drew knows how being a qualifying offer free agent can impact one’s market, so the new Nationals infielder tells MLB.com’s Bill Ladson that he sympathizes with what Ian Desmond is going through as the former Nat continues to look for a new team.  After rejecting the QO in the 2013-14 offseason, Drew didn’t find a contract until May, re-signing with the Red Sox (notably, the only team that weren’t required to give up a draft pick to sign him).  As you might expect, Drew is all for changes to the qualifying offer rule in the upcoming collective bargaining talks.  “The union has to do a good job going over that rule and check out what we can come up with. As players, we probably want to get rid of it. We need to really take a look at the way the logistics are,” Drew said.

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