Daily Archives: December 2, 2009
Nathan W sent in e-mail that said:
“There seems to be rampant misunderstanding of compensation for Type B players like Rod Barajas in the comments section. Some are suggesting the Mets shouldn’t sign him because he was offered arbitration, but it costs the Mets no draft picks because he isn’t a Type A. You might want to refresh everyone’s memory on that.”
Nathan is correct. For instance, if the Mets sign Barajas, the Blue Jays are rewarded a pick in the supplemental round, but it’s a manufactured pick… it doesn’t get taken from the Mets, it is simply added to the draft.
For more on Draft Pick Compensation, click here.
By the way, from what I can gather, MLB is going to revisit this entire system during the next collective bargaining negotiations, as they should, because it no longer applies to how teams operate.
In an jam-packed post to his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes:
“One high-ranking rival executive believes that Matt Holliday will sign with the Mets. To be clear, this was a prediction, and not hard information.”
…man, i hope so… i still believe holliday can be had for six years and $100 million, and i feel he’s worth it, especially to the Mets… like i have said before, to me, he’s young enough, well-rounded enough, he’s aggressive, he’s looking to be a leader and a star on a high-profile team, he’s better on defense than Jason Bay, the Mets can afford him, he’s a terrific hitter and he solves a problem in the field and in the lineup that the team has been trying to solve for years…
In November, in a report for SI.com, Jon Heyman said Omar Minaya is extremely interested in Holliday.
…from what i can gather, there is no serious, overt interest in holliday from the Yankees, Angels or Giants, and the Red Sox and Cardinals are only interested to a point… and so, i think if the Mets step up, and guarantee the sixth year a deal can eventually be worked out…
To read other news, notes and links from Olney, who also writes about Roberto Alomar, and the influence he is still having on baseball, read his blog post, here.
The Giants did not offer salary arbitration to free-agent C Bengie Molina, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
According to the report, “The Giants have said they would like Molina back for one more year, to help break in 2008 first-round draft pick Buster Posey.”
…from what i can gather, the Giants are likely to offer molina a one-year deal, worth around $4 million, with incentives… but, i bet the Mets offer him a similar deal, with an option for 2011, and a bit more money… and i have no idea why, which you can read more about here…
Chris, who writes Big City Ball, a statistical-based blog about the Giants, prefers the Giants sign free-agent C Gregg Zaun, instead of Molina, adding:
“Bringing back Molina would probably be one of the worst things for Buster’s development and the Giants’ wallet…
“If I was a GM and had to pick between Zaun and Molina, I would take Zaun almost every single time. He’s going to be cheaper than Molina and he’s got a good chance to give you the same level of performance.
…i am not sure i would rather zaun, but i would prefer Rod Barajas, who i believe will cost less, but who will play significantly better defense, and will hit just a few less home runs, which is about all molina is good for anyway…
The Braves and free-agent LHP Billy Wagner agreed to a one-year, $7 million contract, with a vesting option for a 
second season, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.
…billy is a country boy, as he will tell you, so i am sure this is a good spot for him… plus, he knows the NL East, having pitched for the Mets and Phillies… three teams down, two to go, i guess…
The Mets traded Wagner to the Red Sox last season for 1B Chris Carter and 1B Eddie Lora, who you can learn more about by reading this old article from David Lennon in Newsday.
The Red Sox offered arbitration to Wagner, meaning Boston will get a first-round and supplemental draft pick from the Braves.
To learn of details from the contract, and how signing Wagner could impact Atlanta’s draft, read Rosenthal’s report, here.
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