Comments on: Random Monday Musings

By: Mike Snow

Mike Snow — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 02:12:15 +0000

The article you were reading is ignorant. Direct compensation is “team-specific” in the sense that the top half of the first round is protected, so those teams would lose 2nd-round picks instead. And in theory, to the extent that a team signs multiple free agents and has to surrender multiple picks, some other team might actually receive their 3rd-round pick that way. But sandwich picks are independent of that, they come after the first round regardless (Type C sandwich picks used to be after the second round).

By: Funkatron

Funkatron — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 21:23:55 +0000

Some article I was reading on the CBA specifically gave Meche as an example of a class B free agent…

Article

“Type B and C free agents, that are the run-of-the-mill, Gil Meche and Marlon Anderson type free agents, will also be affected by the new CBA. Type C free agents are eliminated entirely in the new agreement. This means there will be no compensation if a team signs a player of below average ability.

Teams losing type B free agents will also no longer receive direct compensation from the team that signs them. So, if a team like the Phillies signs a player like Meche (who will most likely be considered a type B free agent) from Seattle, the Mariners will no longer receive the Phillies 3rd round pick. Instead Seattle would receive a pick sandwiched between the 3rd and 4th rounds.”

So…maybe this is team specific? I don’t know, as looking around at other articles, other people are interpreting it differently.

By: The Ancient Mariner

The Ancient Mariner — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:59:14 +0000

Re #61: Huh? Where’d you come up with that? We’ll offer Meche arbitration, he’ll sign elsewhere, and we’ll get a sandwich pick after the first round. Where are you pulling the third round from?

By: Funkatron

Funkatron — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:16:38 +0000

Is it safely assumed that Meche will be offered arbitration by the M’s? And, it looks like the M’s will be receiving compensation under the brand new CBA, correct? And if so, is there really that much of a difference between a third round and a sandwich 3rd / 4th round pick?

By: JI

JI — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:12:40 +0000

From Ken Rosenthal.

How hot is free-agent right-hander Gil Meche? His agent, Casey Close, says that more than half of the teams in the majors have expressed interest in the pitcher, with about one-third of them indicating that Meche is their top priority.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6168854

Yikes.

By: Mike Hargrove's Cameltoe

Mike Hargrove's Cameltoe — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 18:14:50 +0000

I saw this posted on another blog and had to ask: what keeps a team like the Marlins, Pirates, etc. (with low payrolls), to put in an absurdly high bid on Matsuzaka? Say, $75 million.

Then, pretend they lowball him…offer him a minor league contract or the major league minimum.

I thought the posting fee was only paid if the teams came to an agreement.

Couldn’t a “low payroll” team do this to effectively block the Japanese player from playing for a rival?

The team could split the posting fee with the pitcher, and call the bluff.

By: DMZ

DMZ — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 18:11:52 +0000

Weak teams can’t afford the signing bonuses anymore, so don’t even get to DRAFT the best players each year.

That’s absolutely not true.

Every team in the major leagues can afford a first-round signing bonus for any player. That they choose not to is another issue.

By: Oly Rainiers Fan

Oly Rainiers Fan — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 16:39:12 +0000

Om, yeah, richer teams have the advantage. That’s why revenue sharing is the best answer MLB has come up with yet with regard to trying to maintain or get to competitive balance among teams. (Not that it’s a good answer).

Even the draft (which is a restraint of trade on a players’ right, you know, since they only get to negotiate with one team and/or go back to college and wait it out…kinda like the Japanese posting process) is only a temporary fix and a lousy one at that. Weak teams can’t afford the signing bonuses anymore, so don’t even get to DRAFT the best players each year. And even the players they draft, well, they have them only until they hit free agency, when they inevitably lose them to teams that can pay more – if they haven’t traded them off well before then.

It’s called the invariance principle, by Simon Rothenberg. Talent goes where the money is. Thus the solution is: spread the money around evenly and presumedly the talent will also get spread around evenly.

Of course, that’s assuming you have somebody in charge smart enough to identify the talent, and coaches in place smart enough to not screw it up while you’re developing it.

—

In other news, Larry Larue’s TNT article today is pretty interesting. The Red Sox winning DM bid was $42 mill, and 2 teams (Yankees and Rangers) each bid over $30.

By: Tak

Tak — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:24:23 +0000

#50

I think you definitely have a point about “richer teams having an advantage” in the posting system, but again, that applies to almost every aspect of the game other than drafts, and this whole posting system is NOT a draft. (but then, it kinna does not make sense to call these players “rookies” in their first year in the big leagues)

There really is not a “fair” way of doing this, since the posting fee is there to give compensation to the Japanese teams and avoid large number of players flowing to the US.

By: eponymous coward

eponymous coward — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 13:31:29 +0000

Link is here:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/292201_mari14.html