Qualifying Offers

In the old collective bargaining agreement, as the offseason began, free agents were placed in three categories, type A, type B, and neither. Type A free agents were those free agents who, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, were in the top 20% of all players over the last 2 seasons. Type B free agents were in the next 20% according to Elias, and unclassified free agents cover the rest of the available free agents. Say free agent John Smith is classified as a type A free agent. He used to play for Team X, but was recently signed to a contract by team Y. Due to Smith's status as a type A free agent, Team X will receive Team Y's first round draft pick in the upcoming draft. Were Smith a type B free agent, the process would be the same except the compensatory pick would be a 2nd round pick.

Now that you have all read and reread those rules, MLB recently amended the collective bargaining agreement to do away with the free agent classification system. Under the new system, in order for a team to receive draft pick compensation they must give any free agent a qualifying offer. A qualifying offer is a one-year contract. The contract's value is determined by averaging the annual salary of the top 125 MLB players from the previous season. All qualifying offers are for the same amount. Teams have 5 days after the World Series to make these offers while the players have 7 days more to accept or reject the offer. If they accept, they are thus signed to that deal, but if not, they become a free agent.

Making a qualifying offer to a player is very strategic. Each situation is different, but the team must be willing for the player to accept the offer, no matter how unlikely it seems. For example, Josh Hamilton is the biggest name in free agency this offseason, and the Rangers made him a qualifying offer even though they may attempt to resign him. If he chooses a different team, the Rangers will at the very least, get a draft pick in return.

The Rays offered a qualifying offer to B.J. Upton today. They have no intention of making him a contract offer, but small market teams that rely on their farm systems love to nest as many draft picks as possible. While the Rays made an offer to Upton purely to receive the compensatory draft pick, the Yankees made qualifying offers to free agents Hiroki Kuroda, Nick Swisher, and Raphael Soriano. Kuroda may actually accept the offer, which is for $13.3 million, due to his desire to play under a one-year contract and the fact that $13.3 million is $3.3 million more than the 1-year contract he played under last season. A salary increase of 33% is well deserved for a pitcher who, according to Fangraphs was worth $17.5 million. The Yankees most likely want him back. He might be able to negotiate for more, but $13.3 million is good for both sides.

Draft picks are like gold; they are never bad to have. Some pan out, some don't, but stock piling them is a great way to enhance a team, whether the team is from Tampa Bay or New York. Because free agency is a big game of chess, with the player/agent on one side and the team on the other. A good example of this is David Ortiz's situation. News recently came out that the Rangers have interest in Ortiz, which may have pushed the Red Sox to make him a qualifying offer today. Ortiz and the Red Sox will most likely strike a deal to bring the DH back to Boston, but if Ortiz and his agent don't think the eventual offer from the Red Sox will be good enough, they can accept the qualifying offer. The QO puts the ball back in Ortiz's court, forcing him to decide if he is seriously considering offers from other teams.

The qualifying offer is new, and pundits will observe what comes of this new wrinkle in the CBA over the next few seasons, and examine it's efficacy. With other changes made in the signing of prospects, a draft pick has lost some value, but the picks gained through qualifying offers will still yield teams a precious commodity.

Decisions Decisions

This year's MLB trade deadline has proven exciting.  General managers from numerous teams have spent sleepless nights with no one other than their Blackberry for company.  Big-name players have moved, minor deals have been made, and contenders have filled holes while teams in the cellar have cut payroll.  One fact is certain, no team wins anything by making a trade.  Teams may upgrade their talent or replenish their farm systems, but two months of baseball remain unplayed and trades do not always correlate to wins.

Pundits, analysts, and fans listen, watch, and read about every trade rumor that comes across their computer screens, hoping their team's GM will strike a deal to help the winning cause.  One aspect of trades that goes overlooked by fans is the sacrifice made by players who are forced to move from one city to the next.  Although some players do not face any difficulties due to their young age and bachelor status, many players must leave a city they call home and worry about their family's future.

Let's go through a few examples.  The Mets recently traded Carlos Beltran across country to the San Francisco Giants.  Beltran had a no-trade clause in his contract allowing him to veto any preposed trade.  He used this clause to inform the Mets he would only accept a trade to an NL team contending for the playoffs.  His choices were professionally motivated, unrelated to personal matters.  Beltran cared little about moving from one coast to the other, putting winning above everything else.

Other players, like the Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda, chose to invoke his no-trade clause in order to veto all trades, even a few scenarios that put him onto the Red Sox and Yankees.  Kuroda formerly pitched in Japan, but when he signed with the Dodgers, he moved his whole life to the United States.  His life would once again be turned upside down were he to move from Los Angeles to either Boston or New York.  Most would wonder why Kuroda would ever veto such a trade due to the Dodgers' abysmal season and financial troubles coupled with Boston and New York's strong desire to acquire him.  Kuroda chose family above winning, a choice that angers fans but does not baffle many players who understand such decisions. Being traded is akin to an army general being transferred from base to base requiring them to relocate their families.

As a Phillies fan, I have experienced the tension and joy that goes into making a big trade deadline acquisition.  Had I been a Red Sox or Yankees fan during the negotiations for Hiroki Kuroda, I would not have been pleased with his decision, but my opinion has recently changed.  Far too often we as fans see MLB players as chess pieces, easily sacrificed and exchanged, all towards the winning cause, but we overlook the fact that these players are men with families and responsibilities beyond baseball.  As fans we should have the right to boo a player for underperforming or refusing to be traded for purely superficial reasons, but not for refusing a trade due to personal reasons.  Although players make millions of dollars, and "trades are part of the game," these are not valid enough arguments to be made in favor of bashing a player for refusing a trade due to personal reasons.