Tim Dierkes does a great job keeping us privy to all the latest trade rumors. He also does some of the legwork about the new collective bargaining agreement and what that means regarding impending free agency. It’s good news for the Cardinals, in a couple respects. For one thing, because the season was so horrid and the Cardinals finished with the 13th worst record in baseball, the Cardinals are free to go nuts this winter and spend what they want without fear of losing their 1st round pick. If they go out and sign Aaron Rowand or Tom Glavine, who should both may be considered “type A” free agents, at worst they lose a 2nd round pick.
The other side of the coin is that if the Cardinals chose to offer arbitration to David Eckstein and he walks, Eckstein could be considered in the top 20% at his position by the Elias Sports Bureau, meaning a bonus draft pick. It depends on his plate appearances, batting average, OBP, HR, RBI and fielding percentage. (RBI? Fielding %? Really?) I’m not sure he’ll make it, but he’s been above average in BA, OBP and fielding % during his tenure here. HR, RBI…not so much. If teams like the Tigers or Blue Jays sign him, the Cardinals get 2 picks, their 1st round pick and a supplemental 1st round pick. I can’t see that happening, but it is possible. If he’s type B, then they will get just a supplemental 1st round pick in the middle of that round. If a team with a top 15 pick scoops him up, the Cardinals just get an earlier supplemental 1st round pick, a la Jeff Suppan last winter.
Bottom line- if DeWitt does open up DeWallet and they sign Andruw Jones or Andy Pettitte (though I find either of those scenarios highly doubtful), it doesn’t have a real negative effect on the draft. And if Eck ends up being a Type A, then by all means they should let him walk.
Filed under: 2008 MLB draft
erik
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1. Eckstein gets declared a Type A.
2. Cards don’t resign him.
3. He gets signed by a team in the bottom 15 of the draft.
4. ???
5. Profit!!!
Did something change this year?
As of last year, a team that loses a Type A free agent gets two draft picks, one in the supplemental round and one from the signing team. If the team has a top 15 draft pick, they surrender a 2nd-round pick to the free agent’s former team. If they have a bottom 15 pick, they give up their first-round pick.
And if a team signs more than one Type A free agent, the draft picks they surrender go in a specific sequence: the team losing the highest-rated player gets the first surrendered pick, and then the rest go in descending order.
If that policy changed since last offseason, this is the first I’ve heard of it.
lou, maybe i’m missing it. i’ll have to dig around more and see what i come up with. this crap is kinda confusing.
Got a feeling Eck is going to land in the Type B category…which is still nice as it nets us a 1st round sandwich pick.
I’d be shocked if Eckstein’s not type A.
Most likely Eckstein will be resigned anyway.
I hope he doesn’t get re-signed. I would rather have the draft pick.
Offering him arbitration is kind of a no-lose proposition for us. Most likely he turns it down and signs with another team, giving us one or two premium draft picks. But even if he accepts, we’re only only on the hook for one more year.
If he continues his decline, then we let him go after 2008. We’ll have more payroll space to get a premium player who gives us a long-term solution at the position.
If he stays healthy and has a big year, then he’s for sure a Type A, and this time we let him go for the two draft picks.
The worst solution is that we offer him a multi-year contract. If Antonetti is our new GM, there’s no way he lets that happen on his watch.
I could see letting La Russa keep Miles for another year and another couple million, but giving Eckstein a multi-year deal is the kind of move Walt would’ve made. If his successor does the same thing, what was the point of firing Walt?
Its a matter of what you would rather have:
1) Eckstein resigned to a 2-3 year deal
2) Trade young assets (Anderson & Reyes) for a SS-Tejada or Renteria
From everything I’ve read the Cardinals front office doesn’t really believe that Brendan Ryan is a starting shortstop in the MLB. I personally believe that Ryan should be given a one year shot, but I don’t think that will happen.
I personally would rather have Eckstein back for 2 years. If nothing else if his defense continues to decline they can move him to 2B. Some of the teams that have been looking at him are thinking of him as a 2B. I’d rather keep Eckstein and trade Anderson and/or Reyes for a top line type starter.
But then what do you with Kennedy, who’s already signed for the next two years? Do you platoon two veterans on multi-year contracts?