Sign and Trade in Baseball? (1 Viewer)

[NY/NJMFDIVER]

I'll preface this post by saying its from the really pretty rational yankee fan blog River Ave Blues. It addresses the willingness to help unsigned Type A free agents by allowing for sign and trade deals:

http://riveraveblues.com/2009/02/possible-...mini-rant-8303/

In what could be the first step in an NBA-esque sign-and-trade move, the Twins made an offer to free agent reliever Juan Cruz late last night. Cruz, like The Orlandos (Cabrera & Hudson), has been having a devil of a time trying to find a job this winter because teams are unwilling to part with their first round pick to sign him, and now that Spring Training is underway his agent is really starting to feel the heat. You probably remember seeing the blurb earlier this week in which MLB basically said it would be willing to look the other way as teams try to circumvent the free agent draft pick compensation rules, and it’s looking more and more like this might actually happen.

Forget A-Rod and all the PED nonsense. If baseball is willing to essentially amend it’s rules with almost zero advance notice to the benefit of only some teams, then that’s the game’s biggest problem. The Yankees played by the rules and coughed up the draft picks needed to sign free agents this winter, ditto the Mets, Angels, and Dodgers, and now you’re telling me that other teams have a chance to operate under a completely different set of rules? Sorry, but that’s just not fair. If Juan Cruz wants to get paid, then he should have accepted arbitration. There’s a reason David Weathers and Darren Oliver have contracts for 2009 right now and he doesn’t. He doesn’t get to be above the system because his agent misread the economic climate. Life doesn’t work like that.

I swear, the Yanks (and the Mets, Halos and Dodgers as well) better raise some #######’ hell if this is allowed to go down.

This is why Bud(and I blame Bud because he's the captain of the ship) really annoy me, these midstream rule changes. Would not the market have fallen differently had these rules been in place and budget not allocated from early in the offseason? Changing at the end when these guys TURNED DOWN arb and otherwise good offers to "test the waters".Testing the waters is exactly that, its not a guaranteed swing at a blank check.

 

[whoknew]

What rule is MLB amending? This has always been permitted. The Yanks just didn't do it.

 

[Smack Tripper]

What rule is MLB amending? This has always been permitted. The Yanks just didn't do it.

Teams couldn't previously trade resigned FA's until June 15, I believe, and this negates draft pick compensation.

 

[whoknew]

What rule is MLB amending? This has always been permitted. The Yanks just didn't do it.

Teams couldn't previously trade resigned FA's until June 15, I believe, and this negates draft pick compensation.

Unless the player agrees in writing to waive the no-trade provision. Pretty sure this was always possible, just nobody did it - or wanted to do it.

 

[Captain Hook]

What rule is MLB amending? This has always been permitted. The Yanks just didn't do it.

Teams couldn't previously trade resigned FA's until June 15, I believe, and this negates draft pick compensation.

Unless the player agrees in writing to waive the no-trade provision. Pretty sure this was always possible, just nobody did it - or wanted to do it.

This was ALWAYS legal and available for any team

 

[Smack Tripper]

I stand corrected, good job by you guys.

However, by this logic, couldn't a team that had exhausted its type a allotment sign and trade these guys with the players consent, and also broker for a minor leaguer in return?

 

[Captain Hook]

Well in normal seasons the team losing the player and thus getting the draft pick (whether 1st round or 2nd) is more interested in the draft pick and the players are all signed anyway. So only in years like this where the market turns very soft and they have a player who would get them a draft pick and they are NOT signed would the process come up - and it is NOT a slam dunk - to use the Pena example, Arizona has to have a conversation with a team that wants him and doesn't want to give up a pick - the prospective team not only has to come to contract terms with Pena, they have to find a player deal that will satisfy Arizona and then if the two teams can agree on all that the player has to sign the no-trade waiver...........all in all a lot of negotiating.....you really need the interested team who can work well with both the Diamondbacks and the player's agent.