What's your type?
Hopefully the Tigers' offseason is a ways away. Tonight was a good start in assuring that.
But it's always fun to take a peek at the hot-stove season. And it just so happens that the fun and informative site, MLBTradeRumors.com, just published what they believe to be the preliminary Type A and B major league rankings for this offseason. For now -- and remember these are subject to change based on the final week of the regular season -- the Tigers don't have a single Type A player who's eligible for free agency this offseason.
That means there won't be much incentive to offer players salary arbitration, because the compensation they'd get for free agents signing elsewhere -- not even a first-round pick -- might not be worth the risk of players accepting and, in turn, securing raises the over-extended club can't afford.
Here's how the Tigers look as of now, per Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts:
Type B: DH Aubrey Huff, RP Brandon Lyon, 2B Placido Polanco, RP Fernando Rodney
No ranking: SS Adam Everett, C Gerald Laird, C Matt Treanor, DH Marcus Thames, SP Jarrod Washburn
Of those players, the one to watch is Polanco. He was the first player outside the Type A bubble, so there's potential for him to move into the upper echelon. Washburn, too, was just outside the next level -- Type B -- but with his season done because of a knee injury, his status is certain to stand pat.
If I had my guess, I'd bet the Tigers might be OK offering arbitration to Polanco, Lyon, Everett and Laird with the hopes of signing all four to short-term deals before a panel has to get involved. Remember, the Tigers have gone to arbitration with nobody since Dave Dombrowski took over prior to the 2002 season.
I can't see them offering Huff, Rodney, Thames or Washburn, for fear they might accept and break the Tigers' bank, or Treanor, because there's no reason to keep him around with Alex Avila set to take over the backup catching duties -- and perhaps eventually the starting gig -- in 2010.
That said, Rodney's a candidate to negotiate with the Tigers, but they're not likely gonna be able to match the years or dollars he's sure to be offered from a number of clubs who, no doubt, will be brainwashed by the saves stats and completely uneducated about the laboring that goes into each of his outings.
Anyway, for those who need a refresher on the compensation rules:* If a team does not offer arbitration, it eventually has the right to re-sign the free agent but receives no compensation if the player signs elsewhere.
* If a team offers arbitration and the player accepts, he will remain with the team for a 2010 salary determined by an independent panel. This is risky for budget-conscious teams, because players almost always get a raise, and quite often a substantial one.
* If a team offers arbitration and the player does not accept, he immediately becomes a free agent and his former team is eligible for compensation only if the player leaving is ranked Type A or B. Speaking of which ...
If the free agent is ranked Type A, the signing team forks over their next first-round draft choice if it falls between picks 16 and 30; if it's among the first 15 draft picks, the former team gets the new team's second-round selection instead. Either way, the old team also gets a supplemental- (or sandwich-) round pick, made between the first and second rounds.
Meanwhile, if the free agent is Type B, the signing team loses no draft picks, but the former team still is eligible for a sandwich selection as compensation.
* By the way, for those curious how players are designated Type A, Type B or nada: They're considered Type A if they're among the top 20 percent of players at their position, and Type B if they fall between 21 and 40 percent. The rankings factor in statistics from the previous two seasons.
