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Some pre-arbitration eligible players have already signed million dollar extensions, but arbitration eligibility represents the first chance at a seven figure deal for most Major Leaguers. Here’s a look at which players could be arbitration eligible after the 2012 season. Keep in mind that some of these players could sign extensions and that others will spend too much time in the minor leagues to qualify for arbitration after the season.  

I'm assuming the super two cutoff will be less than two years and 146 days of service time (this year's cutoff) given the changes in the new collective bargaining agreement. I've included possible super twos below, adding an asterisk (*) for those with more than a year and 110 days of service but less than a year and 146 days. Here's the position-by-position breakdown:

Catchers

Matt Wieters, Alex Avila, Buster Posey and A.J. Ellis will be eligible for arbitration a year from now. Jonathan Lucroy* figures to qualify and Carlos Santana* could be eligible if the cutoff drops considerably. Backups Francisco Cervelli, John Jaso, Taylor Teagarden and Josh Thole* are also on track for eligibility.

First Basemen

Matt LaPorta, Gaby Sanchez and Ike Davis are on track for eligibility following the 2012 season and Justin Smoak* could join them. Sanchez is currently on track for the biggest arb-1 salary from this group, but that could change in 2012.

Second Basemen

Gordon Beckham, Daniel Murphy and Neil Walker figure to be eligible a year from now and Eric Young Jr.* could also qualify. Walker, a projected super two player, has discussed an extension with the Pirates.

Third Basemen

David Freese is all-but certain to qualify following the 2012 season. Chris Johnson* and Danny Valencia* may be eligible, depending on where the super two cutoff falls.

Shortstops

The shortstop class figures to be relatively deep, with regulars such as Alcides Escobar, Reid Brignac, Ian Desmond and Starlin Castro on track for eligibility. Everth Cabrera and Angel Sanchez also figure to qualify.

Outfielders

Everyday players such as Matt Joyce, Drew Stubbs, Brennan Boesch, Jason Heyward, Austin Jackson and Chris Heisey will qualify after the season. Nolan Reimold, Kyle Blanks, Roger Bernadina, Travis Snider, Gerardo Parra, Jason Bourgeois, Chris Coghlan, Shelley Duncan and Julio Borbon won't necessarily play every day, but they are on track for eligibility nonetheless. Michael Saunders*, Michael Brantley*, Tyler Colvin*, Sam Fuld* and Jordan Schafer* could qualify, depending on the cutoff. If Giancarlo Stanton* qualifies, expect him to be among the best-paid first-time eligible players of the 2012-13 offseason.

Starting Pitchers

Ian Kennedy, Tommy Hanson, Derek Holland, Jonathon Niese, Chris Narveson, Mat Latos, Brett Cecil, Bud Norris, Neftali Feliz, Doug Fister, Jhoulys Chacin, Philip Humber and Mike Leake have rotation spots at this point and project as first-time eligible players next offseason. Josh Outman, Tommy Hunter and Brian Matusz have started in the past and will also qualify. Esmil Rogers* and a trio of young stars — Madison Bumgarner*, Stephen Strasburg* and Daniel Hudson* — could qualify depending on where the cutoff falls.

Relievers

Right-handers Mitchell Boggs, David Hernandez, Bobby Parnell, Rich Thompson, Kevin Jepsen, Ryan Webb, John Axford, Cristhian Martinez and Jeff Samardzija should qualify along with left-handers Tony Sipp, Brian Duensing, Jerry Blevins, Antonio Bastardo, Jonny Venters, Marc Rzepczynski and Ross Detwiler. Don't rule out Drew Storen*, Mark Melancon*, Dan Runzler*, Andrew Cashner*, Alexi Ogando* and Henry Rodriguez*. They could also qualify, depending on the placement of the super two cutoff. Extension candidates Axford and Storen have impressive save totals and would be in line for substantial paydays even on one-year deals.

Extensions

Cameron Maybin, Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata*, Wade Davis and Sergio Santos have signed extensions, though they don’t yet have enough service time to qualify for arbitration. This group would likely have been first-time eligible following the 2012 season.

Teams can delay free agency for top prospects by keeping them in the minor leagues for the start of the season and ensuring they obtain less than a full year of service time (172 days) in 2012. The appropriate timing of the player's debut depends on whether he has a 40-man roster spot.

Prospects such as Shelby Miller and Mike Montgomery who aren't on their teams' 40-man rosters must spend less than 172 days in the Major Leagues this year or they'll be on track for an early arrival on the free agent market (post-2017 vs. post-2018). The 2012 season will last 182 days, so prospects not on their team's 40-man roster can safely be called up after April 17th or so (I'm including a couple of buffer days).

Prospects like Bryce Harper with 40-man roster spots must be optioned to the minors for the beginning of the season and spend at least 20 days on optional assignment. These players won't end up a few days short of a full year of service; they'll either spend the full year in the Major Leagues or end up 20-plus days short. As long as 40-man players such as Harper aren't called up before the end of April, they'll be on track for free agency after 2018.

It's always important to keep in mind that service time is just one element of a team's decision-making process. Plus, a substantial proportion of top prospects get optioned to the minor leagues early in their careers. The player's readiness and the team's needs generally trump service time considerations, but there's no denying they're a factor.

I recently explained the timing of prospects' debuts in this piece.

Most teams have full 40-man rosters at this point in the year, but one third of MLB clubs have at least one open spot. These teams could offer free agents Major League deals without having to cut another player (if they have enough money and projected 25-man roster space) or make a waiver claim at some point before Opening Day. Here’s the team-by-team breakdown:

• Braves – 36
• White Sox – 37
• Nationals – 38
• Yankees – 39
• Angels – 39
• Phillies – 39
• Cubs – 39
• Cardinals – 39
• Rockies – 39 

Keep in mind that the 21 teams with full 40-man rosters could create roster space by moving a player to the 60-day disabled list or by releasing, outrighting or designating for assignment a rostered player.

Source: MLB.com and MLBDepthCharts.com.

Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, and Carlos Silva suffered the indignity a year ago of being paid to go away, as the three were released with $31.5MM remaining on their contracts in total.  Here are some big money players who stand a chance of being cut at some point in 2012.

• Vernon Wells, Angels: three years, $63MM.  The contract gives Wells first crack as the Angels' starting left fielder.  With Mike Trout waiting in the wings, Wells needs to produce in the first half.  Bobby Abreu, owed $9MM this year, seems more likely to be traded than released.
  
• Alfonso Soriano, Cubs: three years, $54MM.  There is plenty of positive talk about Soriano this spring, but the Cubs' new management team might not let him finish the season if his on-base percentage remains around .290.
• Barry Zito, Giants: two years, $46MM.  Zito is penciled in as the Giants' fifth starter, but he's probably on a short leash.  
• Alex Rios, White Sox: three years, $38MM.  Adam Dunn, White Sox: three years, $44MM.  The Sox might as well see if Rios and/or Dunn can bounce back to some extent, but if either has an awful first half, the team could move on.
• Jason Bay, Mets: two years, $35MM.  Those looking for signs of life from Bay can point to his final month last year.  But if his performance matches the other five months (.234/.318/.342) the Mets could pull the plug.
• Carlos Zambrano, Marlins: one year, $18MM.  The Cubs picked up most of the tab on Zambrano, so if he becomes a disruption despite the chance of scenery, the Marlins could let him go.
• Chone Figgins, Mariners: two years, $17MM.  The Mariners aim to rejuvenate Figgins by giving him a shot to bat leadoff in 2012.  If that fails, he could be released.
• Juan Uribe, Dodgers: two years, $16MM.  Uribe is hoping to wipe the slate clean and stick as the team's starting third baseman.
• Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Twins: two years, $6.25MM.  Nishioka is competing for a utility infielder job, and if he doesn't make the cut the next step would be Triple-A.
• Brandon Inge, Tigers: one year, $6MM. Inge is currently in the mix for second base and will probably be needed to back up Miguel Cabrera at third.  The Tigers removed Inge from the 40-man roster last July, but re-added him a few weeks later.
• Kevin Gregg, Orioles: one year, $5.8MM.  Though the Orioles don't seem to project Gregg for a key role in 2012, releasing him now would be harsh.
• Brandon Lyon, Astros: one year, $5.5MM.  There's plenty of room in Houston's bullpen for Lyon to reclaim a late-inning role.  That's the best case scenario.

1:05pm: Our testing group is full, thanks for the emails.  Testers will receive an email this week.

11:37am: We have fixed a couple of issues in our Baseball Trade Rumors iPhone app, including the commenting one.  If you currently own the app and would like to help us test the latest version before we make it publicly available, please email mlbtriphoneapp@gmail.com with your UDID.  Instructions on how to find your phone's UDID in iTunes can be found here. 

Most clubs have addressed their significant roster questions by the time players report to Spring Training, but there are always minor tweaks to be made. We've already seen one extension today, now let's look back at notable transactions made last March with some help from our Transaction Tracker…

• Trades: Aaron Laffey for Matt Lawson (MLBTR post), Brett Carroll for cash (MLBTR post), Sergio Mitre for Chris Dickerson (MLBTR post), Nyjer Morgan for Cutter Dykstra (MLBTR post), Alberto Gonzalez for Erik Davis and cash (MLBTR post), Scott Diamond for Billy Bullock (MLBTR post), Matt Treanor for cash (MLBTR post), Jayson Nix for cash (MLBTR post)
• Contract Extensions: Matt Thornton (two years, $12MM), Ryan Hanigan (three years, $4MM), Chad Billingsley (three years, $35MM)
• Waiver Claims: Cesar Cabral (Blue Jays from Rays), Robert Fish (Royals from Yankees), Garrett Olson (Pirates from Mariners), Cabral (re-claimed by Rays), Pat Neshek (Padres from Twins)
• Minor League Contracts: Edgar Gonzalez (Rays), Nick Johnson (Indians), Kip Wells (D'Backs), Kevin Millwood (Yankees)
• Released: Cla Meredith (Nationals), Chad Moeller (Rockies), Luis Castillo (Mets), Garrett Atkins (Pirates), Oliver Perez (Mets), Gabe Gross (Mariners), Ron Mahay (Dodgers), Carlos Silva (Cubs), Josh Wilson (Mariners), Randy Winn (Orioles), Jeff Suppan (Giants)

FRIDAY, 1:15pm: MLB has officially announced the expanded format. For 2012 only the Division Series will open with two home games for lower ranked teams, and continue with three home games for top ranked teams. This will cut down on travel time and make the Wild Card play-in game possible.

THURSDAY, 6:19 pm: The new playoff system will not be announced today, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom says talks are still ongoing, with the biggest logistical problem being the time between the end of the regular season and the start of the LDS round. At the moment they only have two days for potential tie-breakers, travel, weather delays, and the Wild Card play-in games. 

WEDNESDAY, 3:32pm: MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that "we'll have an answer in the next couple of days." Nightengale confirms that players and owners have agreed to expand the postseason for 2012.

1:26pm: The agreement isn't final but will happen, adds Rosenthal.  He says the announcement for tomorrow isn't certain, but is possible.  Rosenthal's full story is here.

1:13pm: The MLB playoffs will expand from eight to ten teams for 2012, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, with an announcement coming tomorrow.

The non-division winners in each league with the two best records will be the wild card teams, meaning it is now possible for a third-place team to reach the postseason.  Each's league's wild card pair will face off in a one-game playoff.

Looking to show off your fantasy basketball genius this week?  Try DraftStreet, where you can put together a new fantasy team each week and compete against other users for real money.

Right now DraftStreet has an NBA freeroll for MLB Trade Rumors readers, meaning you can take a shot at a chunk of the $400 prize pool for free, with no strings attached.  Here's how it works.

The NBA freeroll begins Friday at 7:00pm eastern time, so you have until then to create your team.  You're given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet.  For example, I took Kobe Bryant for $16K, as I think he'll come up big even after Dwyane Wade broke his nose during the All-Star game.  Your roster will cover these positions: 2 forwards, 2 guards, 2 centers, and 2 utility players.  You get points based on how your team performs through Friday night's games.  The teams with the most points get the prize money.  Below is a screenshot of a sample roster: 

If you're interested, sign up and create a roster prior to Friday's games (7:00pm eastern time).  It's quick, easy, fun, and the MLBTR league gives you a free chance to win some of the $400 prize pool.  If you enjoy the competition you can try other leagues for free and earn credits, or deposit real money.