MLB Arbitration Roundup: Who Was Offered Arbitration Last Night?

For those of you who are not aware, yesterday at 11:59 pm EST was the last day teams could offer their free agents arbitration. Once a team offers arbitration to a player, that player has until Dec. 7 to accept.

A team would offer arbitration to a player—especially to a Type A or a Type B free agent—because that team then would receive draft compensation as a result of that player signing with a new team.

A great example of this is what we saw this morning.

Since Billy Wagner signed with the Atlanta Braves and was a Type A free agent who was offered arbitration, the Boston Red Sox will receive the Braves’ first-round pick (20th overall) and a supplemental pick in 2010.

Here is a list of the players who were offered arbitration by their current clubs. This list is courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors.

Type A Free Agents (10 players)

Chone Figgins

John Lackey

Jose Valverde

Marco Scutaro

Mike Gonzalez

Rafael Soriano

Matt Holliday

Billy Wagner

Jason Bay

Rafael Betancourt

Type B Free Agents (13 players)

Justin Duchscherer

Rod Barajas

Joel Pineiro

Mark DeRosa

Adrian Beltre

Ivan Rodriguez

Marlon Byrd

Brian Shouse

Gregg Zaun

Jason Marquis

Brandon Lyon

Fernando Rodney

Carl Pavano

Yesterday was a good day for guys like Bengie Molina, Jermaine Dye, LaTroy Hawkins, and Kevin Gregg, who are all Type A free agents. Since these players were not offered arbitration and will not cost a first-round draft pick, they become much more attractive for teams to sign.

My predictions are that Molina ends up with the New York Mets and Dye ends up with the San Francisco Giants.

Yesterday was a bad day for a player like Rafael Betancourt. With him being a Type A free agent and offered arbitration by the Colorado Rockies, he is going to have a hard time finding work.

It’s hard to justify giving up a first-round pick for a middle reliever who has been up and down for much of his career. My guess is he ends up back with the Rockies in 2010.

After Dec. 7, we will start to see the dominoes start to fall in the free agent market.

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