Tuesday, November 17, 2009

MLB - Free Agency Proposal

The stigma of being a Type A free agent negatively affects numerous players each offseason (Juan Cruz and Orlando Hudson come to mind from '08). In the next CBA, might it make sense for the players to renegotiate the terms of Type A and Type B free agents?

For those unfamiliar, a Type A free agent that sings with a new team "costs" the team that signs this free agent a first round pick (assuming the team doing the signing finished with one of the best 15 records in the league the previous season). Additionally, the team that loses its free agent is given a supplemental first round pick.

In the current economic environment, teams are wary of losing a top pick.

My proposal: Give the team losing the free agent two supplemental first round picks regardless of which team signs this player, and do not take away a first rounder (best 15 records) or second rounder (worst 15 records).

Benefits: Teams can be aggressive in their pursuit of free agents thus making the players happy; teams losing free agents could get better picks under these rules (in the scenario where a team with one of the worst 15 records signs a player, the team losing the free agent would get two supplementals as opposed to a supplemental and a second rounder)

Disadvantages: The best teams could get better without much consequence; teams could get worse picks (in the scenario where a team with one of the best 15 records signs a player, the team losing the free agent would get two supplementals as opposed to a first rounder and a supplemental).

Players sure to be hurt by having Type A status this year (assuming their current teams offer arbitration): Miguel Tejada (no pity here), Octavio Dotel (Juan Cruz, Part Deux), and Orlando Hudson (Orlando Hudson, Part Deux).

What are your thoughts?

1 comment:

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