Marte To Yankees?

From the NY Post:

The Yanks are working hardest at finding a lefty specialist for their bullpen, with Pittsburgh's Damaso Marte remaining the top priority from the winter until now. Nevertheless, Pittsburgh continues to believe the Yanks are not valuing Marte highly enough in their trade offers. The Pirates want to make sure they get a greater value than the two draft picks they would receive in compensation if they declined Marte's $6 million option and offered him arbitration after this season because by their computation, Marte is going to be a Type-A free agent.

From Sporting News, and explanation of Type A Free Agents:

Type A -- which means they rank in the top 30 percent of players in their position groups. Teams that lose a Type A free agent are compensated with two draft picks. Teams that lose a Type B free agent -- one of the 45 players ranked from 31-50 percent at his position -- get one pick in return.

And an explanation from MLB.com:

Question: How are compensation picks determined?
Answer: The former Club of a Player who became a free agent and ranks as a Type A or B Player shall be entitled to receive compensation in the form of a draft choice in the First-Year Player Draft succeeding the Player's election of free agency.

A Type A or B shall be a Player who became a free agent and ranks as a Type A or B Player under the statistical system of ranking Players set forth by the Elias Sports Bureau, using statistics based on a two-year average for each respective position group. Type A and Type B players necessitate that the Player's former Club receive a sandwich pick in between rounds one and two. Additional picks in the second, third and fourth rounds are exchanged from one club to another for the losses of Type A free agents.

Type A Players now rank in the upper 20% of his respective position group by the Basic Agreement, instead of the upper 30% as was stipulated in the previous collective bargaining agreement.

Type B Players now rank in the upper 40%, but not in the upper 20%, of his respective position group. Under the previous collective bargaining agreement, Type B Players ranked in the upper 50% not in the upper 30%. Before the most recent collective bargaining agreement took effect for the 2007 season, a Club would receive compensation for losing a Type C free agent. Under the new Basic Agreement, Type C free agents no longer call for a draft pick as compensation.

 

BTW Take:

In past seasons, the Pirates have traded away free-agents-to-be without looking at the compensation draft picks.  This is a wonderful change for the Pirates.  Finally the front office seems to have a clue on how to handle potential free agents and compensatory draft picks when negotiating a deal.  it finally looks like the days of the Pirates being the Yankees and Cubs AAAA farm team are over.

 

SLIDENOTE:

Finally things are calming down a bit here in Iowa.  The rivers are subsiding, work is getting back to normal.  Expect BTW to get back to what use to be expected.

 

Buzzman, I hope "Bobbing Bob" made it to you high and dry.