Comp Picks Taking Shape
Rumors come, and rumors go, as the activity this off-season with the Winter Meetings behind us was a lot slower than the number of big rumors that were swirling would have led you to believe (which of course is nothing new).
As it pertains to the draft, some of the bigger free agents signed will bring the teams that lost them compensation picks. I have talked about the revised draft structure in previous columns based on the collective bargaining agreement that was ratified a year ago.
I have previously guessed that the length of the sandwich round would decrease by roughly 20 percent from 2007 to 2008 due to the change in how Type A and B free agents are classified. Previously Type A free agents represented the top 30 percent of their group, with Type B free agents representing the top 31-50 percent of their groupings. Now those percentages are the top 20 and top 21-40 percents respectively.
It turns out the sandwich round will decrease by nearly 50 percent, with no more than 18 free agents effecting the supplemental first round, down from the 34 supplemental first-round picks from a year ago.
As of right now, there are 10 free agents that have already garnered compensation picks for their 2007 ball-clubs by signing with other teams (Type A free agents Francisco Cordero, Tom Glavine, Torii Hunter, Scott Linebrink and Aaron Rowand; Type B free agents Doug Brocail, Eric Gagne, Jason Kendall, Troy Percival and David Riske), with only eight more that have not yet been signed that have been offered and declined arbitration (Type B free agents Mike Cameron, Pedro Feliz, Livan Hernandez, Ron Mahay, Trever Miller, Mike Piazza, Shannon Stewart and Luis Vizcaino).
Big Draft On Tap
The Milwaukee Brewers stand to enjoy the most compensation picks next June, with a pair of Type A free agents lost (Francisco Cordero and Scott Linebrink). Since both Cordero and Linebrink signed with teams that finished among the worst 15 teams in the big-leagues a year ago, they receive two additional second round picks from those teams (the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox), but they do receive two early sandwich picks, which will be the 32nd and 35th overall picks.
The Padres stand to gain two sandwich picks should Mike Cameron change teams, as they have already lost Doug Brocail to the Houston Astros.
The Twins get the first pick in the sandwich round by being the worst team to lose a Type A free agent, Torii Hunter, and they also will receive the Angels first-round selection, the 27th overall pick.
Tom Glavine will allow the Mets to steal the Braves first-round pick, the 18th overall selection, as well as picking up the third pick in the sandwich round, the 33rd pick overall.
The Phillies will get the fourth pick in the sandwich round, the 34th overall pick, and the Giants second-round pick for the loss of Aaron Rowand.
The Oakland Athletics are the only other team that stand to have multiple compensation picks should both Mike Piazza and Shannon Stewart sign elsewhere. It has been reported that Piazza may play in Japan next year or possibly even retire.
With two comp picks and two additional second round picks, the Brewers stand to own three picks in the top 35, seven selections within the top 64 and eight picks in the top 100. What makes that haul especially impressive is that they had only one selection in the top 100 picks a year ago (the seventh overall pick), and that they boast one of the youngest, most talented lineups in all of baseball assembled almost entirely via the draft courtesy of scouting director Jack Zduriencik.
You don’t have to go back very far to get an idea of what kind of haul that would look like. Last year the Padres held eight picks in the first two rounds, the Blue Jays had seven, the Giants and Rangers had six while the Nationals had five. Of those 32 picks, 10 were former Aflac All-Americans, while many of the college picks were either preseason or postseason All-Americans (or both) at their respective positions.
It’s not a surprise that more extra, early picks has the potential to garner a tremendous amount of talent, as long as the team that owns those extra, early picks are prepared to spend the money necessary to get all of that talent in the fold. Since the Brewers haven’t skimped on player development ever since Jack Zduriencik took over in 1999, I think it’s safe to say that they will be in a great position next June.
Draft Order
Sandwich picks are awarded to teams losing Type A free agents before compensatory selections are handed out for Type B free agents. The worst team from the 2007 season that loses a Type A free agent gets the first pick in the sandwich round, cycling through all of the teams one time from worst to first before additional picks for Type A free agents lost are distributed.
Then the Type B compensatory picks are handed out, with the same order, cycling through all of the teams once, worst to first, before picks are given out to teams that lose more than one Type B free agent.
Type A free agents also garner the team that loses them a pick from the team that signs them. If the signing team finished among the best 15 teams from the 2007 season, they relinquish their first-round pick. Teams that finish among the worst 15 teams from 2007 do not lose their first-round pick.
Teams that sign multiple Type A free agents lose their picks in order of the Elias Sports Bureau rankings. The free agent with the higher ranking garners the team that lost them the higher pick, but that won’t apply to next year’s draft order since no team signed multiple Type A free agents.
Here is how the order stands right now:
First-round changes:
18. New York Mets (from Braves for Glavine)
27. Minnesota Twins (from Angels for Hunter)
Supplemental first-round:
31. Minnesota Twins (Hunter)
32. Milwaukee Brewers (Cordero)
33. Atlanta Braves (Glavine)
34. Philadelphia Phillies (Rowand)
35. Milwaukee Brewers (Linebrink)
36. Kansas City Royals (Riske)
37. St. Louis Cardinals (Percival)
38. Chicago Cubs (Kendall)
39. San Diego Padres (Brocail)
40. Boston Red Sox (Eric Gagne)
Second-round changes:
45. Philadelphia Phillies (Rowand)
47. Milwaukee Brewers (Cordero)
48. Milwaukee Brewers (Linebrink)
Here is what the order of the sandwich round would look like if all of the remaining free agents sign with different ball-clubs for the 2008 season:
31. Minnesota Twins (Hunter)
32. Milwaukee Brewers (Cordero)
33. Atlanta Braves (Glavine)
34. Philadelphia Phillies (Rowand)
35. Milwaukee Brewers (Linebrink)
36. Kansas City Royals (Riske)
37. San Francisco Giants (Feliz)
38. Houston Astros (Miller)
39. Oakland Athletics (Piazza)
40. St. Louis Cardinals (Percival)
41. Atlanta Braves (Mahay)
42. Chicago Cubs (Kendall)
43. San Diego Padres (Cameron)
44. Arizona Diamondbacks (Hernandez)
45. New York Yankees (Vizcaino)
46. Boston Red Sox (Eric Gagne)
47. Oakland Athletics (Stewart)
48. San Diego Padres (Brocail)
These changes would bump back the Phillies second-round compensation pick to the 53rd overall selection and the Brewers second-round compensation picks to the 55th and 56th overall picks.
One more wrinkle
One new change to draft pick compensation per the new collective bargaining agreement is how unsigned early draft picks are handed out. Previously only unsigned first-round picks garnered compensation, in the form of a sandwich pick. Now unsigned first through third round picks garner compensation.
Teams with unsigned first, first-round supplemental and second round picks will now receive a selection in the draft the next year right after the overall selection of that unsigned pick. Unsigned third round picks will draw a pick in a compensatory round after the third round is completed.
Here is a list of the unsigned draft picks from last year and the picks their drafting team stand to gain:
Unsigned second-round picks:
69A (the 70th overall pick): Atlanta Braves (Joshua Fields)
84A (the 85th overall pick): Boston Red Sox (Hunter Morris)
Supplemental third round (overall picks to be determined):
1. Philadelphia Phillies (Brandon Workman)
2. Houston Astros (Derek Dietrich)
3. San Diego Padres (Tommy Toledo)
4. Los Angeles Angels (Matt Harvey)
The compensation system is far from perfect, and for the most part the structure doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, which compelled me to break it down as I did. Each sport seems to have it’s own character as far as the draft is concerned, with the NFL handing out compensation picks in a much more subjective manner while the NBA institutes a lottery system.
However these changes were made to help give teams more negotiating power, along with the mandatory August 15 signing deadline, when it comes to dealing with amateur players with lofty signing demands. As we found out last August, I’m not sure if MLB accomplished what they were hoping to, but we’ll get a better feel for those changes as the years progress.
The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.