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Some free agents are franchise changers — players who alter the look of the team immediately and, more often than not, expensively. While identifying these players is easy, pursuing and signing them is not. General managers interested in top players must be prepared for an involved process that expands beyond the reach of the baseball operations department.

Take it from Dave Dombrowski, the president and GM of the Tigers. Dombrowski said he needed considerable involvement from owner Mike Ilitch to sign Prince Fielder for $214MM last offseason

“I think realistically when you start talking about those type of guys and the dollars that are invested, owners have to be involved,” Dombrowski told MLBTR. “I don’t know of a general manager or a president that has the authority to make a $200MM deal on their own … You don’t pick up the phone as a general manager and sign someone at eight years and $25MM per year and say ‘surprise.’ You don’t do those types of things.”

Last offseason Fielder and Albert Pujols obtained long-term deals worth in excess of $200MM. Ilitch and Angels owner Arte Moreno ended up with the star players, but other clubs were interested in both instances. The Cardinals, for one, had interest in re-signing their longtime first baseman. For St. Louis GM John Mozeliak, full engagement from the front office is a prerequisite for teams intent on signing elite players.

“One of those things that you’re trying to capture is that it’s a very global decision,” Mozeliak said. “So when you think about baseball decisions, you have the ownership side of it. You also have the business side of how they would market it, so you have a lot more people at the table when you’re starting to engage in this.”

This year, Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke are the elite free agents with strong cases for contracts worth $100MM-plus. Whichever team signs those players will be sending a significant message about the direction of the franchise.

“Not only are you looking at how it’s going to affect your team and how it’s going to play next year and in future year,” Mozeliak said. “But also what’s it going to do to your fan base? What kind of messaging are you sending to it? And I just think all of those things thrown together make it far more complicated than just your traditional negotiation.”

Major signings mean a great deal to fans in Dombrowski’s view. Once the Tigers signed Fielder fan interest picked up significantly and the public perception of the club changed.

“Because they look at him as a difference maker compared to somebody else who just may be another guy in people’s minds,” Dombrowski said.

There’s also the question of a team’s overall composition. Two offseasons ago, the Nationals signed Jayson Werth before they were regarded as one of the league’s top teams. Four years ago, the Yankees were already regarded as a playoff caliber team when they spent in excess of $340MM to obtain C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. It’s part of the balancing act for any team wondering whether to spend big.

“Is he the one guy you have, are you building around him?,” Dombrowski asked. “Or is he with some other people? With us I think the difference is we already had a couple of real quality guys and premium type guys and [Fielder] was being added to that group. I think the difference is when you reach that point and it’s not just the one guy, on the field your players look at it as you’re taking a step forward to win.”

These players can create shifts in perception single-handedly, not only for fans and onlookers, but for the team itself. Of course, much has to go right for a team to complete a deal of this magnitude. Signing top free agents takes coordination and timing, not just historic amounts of cash.

Leading up to the current offseason, MLB executives and analysts often described the 2012-13 free agent class as thin, weak, or top-heavy. Looking ahead to next year’s class inspires similar reactions. These free agent classes are not overwhelmingly deep. 

Might it be time for teams and their fans to adjust expectations regarding free agency? MLB general managers told MLBTR it’s prudent to maintain modest expectations for future free agent classes.

Jack Zduriencik of the Mariners acknowledged that there’s less impact talent on the market this winter than in past years. But he said there’s not necessarily a pattern to be deciphered when it comes to the quality of free agent classes.

“Every year is different,” the GM said. “Next year might be a terrific year depending on what happens. Two years from now might be a great year also. You don’t know what clubs are going to do. Even when you’re sitting here thinking you know what’s going to happen, someone inks a guy to an extension and it changes the future.”

An abundance of extensions for star and superstar caliber players has definitely affected the quantity of elite talent available on the open market. For example, the Reds signed Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips to long-term contracts this spring, ensuring that they won’t hit free agency in the prime of their careers.

“I think you’re going to see probably less and less of the top quality guys because clubs are signing them long-term,” GM Walt Jocketty told MLBTR in Indian Wells, California. “I think that’s a trend that we’ll continue to see going forward.”

In other words teams saving up to spend on David Wright or Robinson Cano when they’re scheduled to hit free agency a year from now might be disappointed. As MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows, 51 players have already signed multiyear extensions in 2012 — that’s two full active rosters of players signed in the past ten months alone. Still, Jocketty made it clear that he believes quality players are available in this free agent class.

“I wouldn’t say it’s weak,” he said. “I think there’s not a lot of depth.”

Indeed, it’d be tough to match the combination of Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke in any year. Still, after the first 20 or so players, the list of top available free agents starts to feature more and more players with significant questions about health, age or performance.

Like Jocketty, Frank Wren of the Braves has had multiple GM jobs dating back to the 1990s. Over the years he has completed some shrewd signings (Billy Wagner) and some regrettable ones (Albert Belle). Wren has also noticed some diminishment of the quantity of star players in free agency. 

“I think it’s due by and large to the strategies teams are taking of tying up their core young players,” he said. “I think we are seeing that where it’s a little tougher to fill some of your needs through that market.”

This change heightens the importance of other avenues for acquiring and developing players. The Padres, for example, enter the offseason with the intention of relying on trades and internal development along with free agency.

“Probably a little bit of all, but probably not as much in free agency as some people think,” GM Josh Byrnes said, adding that free agency ranks as a relatively low priority for the small-market Padres.

Last winter serves as a warning for teams flirting with the notion of spending big to accelerate toward the postseason. The Marlins had a disastrous season despite an offseason that included three major free agent additions: Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell. The Angels missed the playoffs after spending aggressively on Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. While the team spent on quality players, the additions weren’t enough. Meanwhile, the Athletics ($53MM), Orioles ($26MM) and Nationals ($16MM) made the postseason in 2012 after relatively quiet winters on the free agent market. Sometimes there's a disproportionate amount of attention placed on free agency.

“A lot of times when you refer to free agency, most people would say ‘oh we’re going to get a free agent who’s going to change our ballclub,’” Zduriencik said. “Well, that’s not always the case.”

For some especially aggressive teams, free agency offers the chance to sign elite players. But for most clubs free agency represents a way to supplement a team — not a way to radically alter the club’s complexion.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

It’s not too late to sign up for MLBTR’s free agent prediction contest. If you can correctly predict destinations for our top 50 free agents, you’ll have the chance to win prizes, including cash, a World Series DVD set, and content from Baseball America. Last year’s winner correctly predicted the destinations for 15 of the top 50 players, which gives you an idea of how challenging this is.

Here's how to play: click here and select a destination for each free agent after signing in with your Facebook account. You don't have to complete all of the picks right away, but don't wait too long — they're due by midnight central time tonight.

Keep in mind that players such as David Ortiz and Joel Peralta who have already signed are freebies as long as you update the selection. Bookmark the leaderboard to see how you’re doing in relation to other readers and MLBTR’s writing team. Good luck!

Dust off your crystal ball again, it's time for MLBTR's second annual free agent prediction contest! Predict destinations for our top 50 free agents, with the chance to win fantastic prizes and bragging rights over your friends and the MLBTR writing team.  Last year's winner had 15 correct; can you beat that?

How To Play

• Click here to make picks for our top 50 free agents.  For each player you can choose any of the 30 teams, as well as Retirement or Japan.
• A Facebook account is required to participate in this contest.  You can log in with the button up top, or by using the Save Your Picks button at the bottom.
• Feel free to leave your picks incomplete for now, as long as you save them using the button at the bottom.  The contest is open now and runs until midnight central time on Wednesday, November 7th.  Make sure to have something chosen and saved for all 50 players by the deadline, or else you will not be eligible for the contest.
• Players on our top 50 that sign before the November 7th deadline are considered freebies, although you still need to go in and make the correct pick.  It's kind of like getting points for putting your name on the test – seems like a no-brainer, but a few people still won't do it.
• The leaderboard will rank contestants by "batting average" on correct picks, once players start signing.  The leaderboard will show everyone's full names and Facebook profile picture.

Rules

• Final picks must be saved by November 7th at midnight central time – no exceptions.
• MLBTR writers are not eligible for prizes.
• One entry per person, please.
• With regard to prizes, ties in batting average will be decided by totaling the ranking number of each correctly-guessed free agent and taking the lowest total, rewarding contestants for being right on better free agents.  If people are still tied after that method is applied, prizes will be distributed at MLBTR's discretion by choosing among tied contestants randomly.
• Prize winners must respond to an email message within 48 hours.

Prizes

• $1,000 in cash prizes to be distributed among the top five finishers
• New addition! Three copies of The World Series: History of the Fall Classic Deluxe DVD set from A&E Networks Home Entertainment/MLB Productions
• Baseball America 2013 Prospect Handbook
• One-year digital subscription to Baseball America
• $50 coupon code for American Needle headwear

TUESDAY: MLB continues to investigate ACES according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, who says the league could contest the union's findings if they uncover more wrongdoing. MLB interviewed LoDuca and has been in touch with a federal investigator, though they are focusing on the Cabrera case more than the Mitchell Report. The league figures to pursue harsher penalties if it finds the Levinsons were closely tied to the scheme.

MONDAY: The Major League Baseball Players Association's investigation of ACES has cleared the sports agency — headed by brothers Sam and Seth Levinson — of any wrongdoing in the Melky Cabrera web site scandal, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

ACES had allegedly been involved in creating fake web sites to help explain Cabrera's positive test for performance enhancing drugs. According to Passan, ACES is expected to be punished for failing to supervise Juan Nunez, the consultant responsible for creating the web sites. However, ACES has issued a statement to its clients stating that any forthcoming sanctions "will not compromise ACES' ability to represent [them] in contract negotiations."

The agency provided the MLBPA with more than 1,000 pages of emails, phone records and personnel documents, Passan writes. Other employees were interviewed, as were consultants and even co-conspirators of Nunez. All employees of the ACES agency were cleared by the investigation.

The union has also decided not to investigate ACES for allegations by the Mitchell Report and former big league catcher Paul LoDuca that tie the agency to performance enhancing drugs.

In the past month, Shane Victorino, Nyjer Morgan, Everth Cabrera and Jonny Gomes have all left the agency. Victorino reportedly informed the Levinsons of his impending departure long before Cabrera had even been suspended, however.

As MLBTR's Agency Database shows, ACES still represents big names like David Wright, Brandon Phillips, Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez, Heath Bell, Dustin Pedroia and many, many more.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Wasserman Media Group no longer employs Paul Kinzer, but there are still unresolved issues between the agent and the firm he used to work for, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reports. A battle over Kinzer’s roster of clients could be beginning, according to Mullen. There could be a future legal struggle over issues such as fees, though Kinzer’s client list remains unchanged as of now.

“All my players are still with me,” Kinzer told Mullen. 

The agent represents players including Starlin Castro, Alex Rios, Geovany Soto, Aramis Ramirez and Rafael Furcal. Kinzer could open a new firm with his son, MLB agent Kelly Kinzer, or start another agency, Mullen writes.

Kinzer left WMG after the agency had to pay a $2MM settlement to Francisco Rodriguez. Kinzer had not filed the reliever's no-trade list before the 2011 season.

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It’s not too late to sign up for MLBTR’s free agent prediction contest. If you can correctly predict destinations for our top 50 free agents, you’ll have the chance to win prizes, including cash and content from Baseball America. Last year’s winner correctly predicted the destinations for 15 of the top 50 players, which gives you an idea of how challenging this is.

Here's how to play: click here and select a destination for each free agent after signing in with your Facebook account. You don't have to complete all of the picks right away, but they're due by midnight central time this Wednesday, November 7th. Bookmark the leaderboard to see how you’re doing in relation to other readers and MLBTR’s writing team. Good luck!

Friday was decision day for clubs as they had until 4pm CST to extend qualifying offers to their free agents.  Players who received the one-year, $13.3MM offer now have until November 9th to accept the deal.  If the player turns down the offer and signs elsewhere, the team will get a compensatory draft pick in June.  Here's a look at the nine players who received offers this winter..

• Michael Bourn, Braves
• Josh Hamilton, Rangers
• Hiroki Kuroda, Yankees
• Adam LaRoche, Nationals
• Kyle Lohse, Cardinals
• David Ortiz, Red Sox (Ortiz and the Red Sox later agreed to a two-year, $26MM deal)
• Rafael Soriano, Yankees
• Nick Swisher, Yankees
• B.J. Upton, Rays