John Milton and an arbitration primer
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John Milton and an arbitration primer
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties."
Tomorrow marks the 466th anniversary of the publishing of Areopagitica, John Milton's landmark pamphlet championing the right to freedom of speech and expression. What you are about to read is probably not on that level of historical significance, but Milton would certainly be thrilled to know that his spirited campaign paved the way for you and me to sit inside on a brilliant late-autumn afternoon and dissect Jayson Werth's arbitration status on a blog called High Cheese.
Because tomorrow also happens to be the day when the Phillies must offer arbitration to Werth, thereby securing their right to receive draft-pick compensation if - or, perhaps more accurately, when - he signs with another major league team.
The Phillies don't really have any deciding to do on the topic. They will offer Werth arbitration, Werth will seriously consider accepting it for approximately zero seconds, and everything will proceed without so much as a blink.
The only other player the Phillies could offer arbitration to is reliever Chad Durbin, a Type B free agent, although they aren't likely to do so.
So back to Werth, and what it all means.
The important things to know:
1) At the end of the season, an organization called the Elias Sports Bureau ranks every player in the major leagues based on a complex formula that measures various statistics over a two-year period. The top 20 percent of players in each of five groupings -- Starting pitchers, Relief pitchers, catchers, 1B/OF, and 2B/SS/3B -- are "Type A" players. The next 20 percent (21-40 percent) are "Type B" players.
2) Werth is a Type A player. In fact, he is the highest-rated free agent this year, according to a copy of the Elias Rankings obtained by the Daily News. Werth's rating is 91.807, which puts him just ahead of Rays reliever Rafael Soriano's 91.799 and Derek Jeter's 91.304. That distinction could prove important to the Phillies down the line. Why? Stay tuned. . .
3) Teams who lose Type A and Type B free agents are eligible to receive draft pick compensation. In order to exercise that right, they must first offer arbitration to said free agent, which gives the player the option of accepting a one-year deal at a salary decided by a panel of arbitrators. In a lot of cases, a club won't offer arbitration because they don't want to risk the player accepting. The Phillies did this with Pat Burrell back in 2008, since they could have been stuck with a huge salary for the left fielder if he accepted. In Werth's situation, this obviously isn't a concern. The Phils would be thrilled if he ended up accepting. But that isn't going to happen.
4) So once Werth declines -- he has until the end of the day on Nov. 30 to do so -- the Phillies will be eligible to receive compensation if he signs elsewhere. The compensation for a "Type A" player who signs elsewhere as a free agent is two draft picks. One pick is in the supplemental round, which falls between the first and second round. The other pick is the highest unprotected selection of the team that signs the Type A free agent.
5) What does "unprotected" mean? This is where things start to get complicated, so pay attention:
5A) The top 15 picks in the first round of the draft are protected. Because of compensation picks for the Diamondbacks, Padres and Brewers in this year's first round, the top 18 picks are actually protected. If a team with a protected first round pick signed Werth, the Phillies would receive that team's second-round pick.
The vast majority of teams with protected picks are unlikely to be in the market for Werth (ex: Pirates, Diamondbacks, Royals, Nationals, Indians, Cubs, Astros, Brewers, Mets, Marlins, Dodgers). The notable exception could be the Angels, who at No. 17 are believed to be in the market for a top-dollar outfielder (Carl Crawford is their primary target, according to the informed speculation of the national media).
Teams with unprotected picks: Tigers (19), Rockies (20), Blue Jays (21), Cardinals (22), White Sox (23), Red Sox (24), Padres (25), Rangers (26), Reds (27), Braves (28), Giants (29), Twins (30), Yankees (31), Rays (32), Phillies (33). Potential suitors for Werth include the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox and Tigers.
5B) Even if a team loses a Type A free agent to a team with an unprotected pick, they aren't guaranteed to receive a first-round pick. Why not? If a team signs more than one Type A free agent, their draft picks are doled out in order of those free agents' Elias Rankings (think the Yankees in 2009, when they signed C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira).
So the fact that Werth is the top-rated free agent is good news for the Phillies.
6) So, long story short: The Phillies will offer Werth arbitration. Werth will decline. If he signs elsewhere, the Phillies are highly likely, although not guaranteed, to get a first round draft pick from the team that signs him. They'll also get a pick in between the first and second rounds.
Long live John Milton.
^
File this name away on your list of options for a right-handed hitting outfielder: Matt Diaz still looks unlikely to be offered a contract by the Braves, according to Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer David O'Brien. He made $2.5 million last season and his arbitration eligible, but the Braves apparently will think hard about whether such a price tag is worth devoting to a player who hit .250/.302/.438 with seven home runs in 224 at-bats last season. The Braves don't exactly have an enviable outfield situation in 2011 -- They recently released Melky Cabrera, and Nate McLouth hit .190/.298/.322 last season -- and your first thought might be: if not there, then why here? Well, Diaz has killed lefties in his career, and he is used to part-time at-bats:
Diaz vs. LHP
2010: .273/.318/.512, 5 HR, 121 AB
2009: .412/.464/.640, 6 HR, 136 AB
2008: .319/.338/.417, 2 HR, 72 AB
2007: .356/.384/.580, 9 HR, 188 AB
^
Domonic Brown made his winter ball debut yesterday in the Dominican Republic, where he went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run in the first game of a doubleheader, then went 0-for-1 with a strikeout in the second game. He played right field. He's expected to play until right around Christmas.
What is the cost of picking up a Rule 5 guy like Adam Ottavino?— mmaglich
So the anti-literary reference amanda is worried about a sexist comment?
Hmmm...you're against the writer who refreshingly stretches beyond the norm with his sportswriting, attempting to condemn him for not meeting your subjective standard for good writing, but against people who would force you into some kind of subjective standard for what your role should be as a woman?
Hardly reasonable, in my opinion.— pigday31- tj22, if you sign your own player you don't lose any draft picks.
laferpurcell, sorry we don't all have giagantic brains like you so that we can all maintain useless knowledge. There are definitely a few nuances in the rules that are really not worthy of holding a space in my teeny head.— Sponge - So what happens if a player signs with a new team before arbitration was offered? The Phils offered it to Werth today, but the signing period had already started. Would they have just lost out on any draft picks if he had signed before today?— tj22phils
- soupy you are wrong, since me is used with a preposition in that sentence, it was used correctly. One would never say "for I".— Sponge
- SOUPY has taken one too many pies in the face. SAIL away you clown,
Your posts are "something up with which we shall not put,"— NewMick314 - I certainly agree with the column - but honestly I don't understand why there are more than a few comments posted where people seem completely shocked or suddenly educated by it. There is nothing new or unexpected in the article. All it does is repeat (with the addition of a very pithy nod to Milton) information that all of us ought to have been aware of months - if not years - ago.— laferpurcell
- I am always surprised at the hostility and anti-intellectualism aimed by some posters at David Murphy who often provides terrific detail for local baseball fans, while throwing in some scholarly references as well, e.g. John Milton. The two gems this evening, of course, are from Soupy1 who focuses on "you and me" and ignores the rest of the piece, while laughingly misspelling "grammatically," and from amandahugnkiss who doubtless will regale us with some of her/his/its own pearls of wisdom since she/he/it denigrates the writing skills of said Murphy. A pathetic duo, Soupy1 and Amandahugnkiss.— chuckw
- Matt Diaz? Matt Diaz is the answer to our prayers? Matt Diaz. Okay. Good to know. Matt F'in Diaz? Really? All this talk of adding another right-handed outfield bat makes me wonder if Benny Fresh might be traded in a package deal. While do I smell a Von Hayes type deal in the offing?— andrewfrombrooklyn
Excellent article, and a reference to Milton: baseball and scholarship, my two favourite things ...
As a lifelong Jays fan, I would love to see them try to get Werth back. Of course they won't.- brilliant retort murph!
- Bob1, that's really sexist.— amanda hugnkiss
- great information. with our pitching we won't need as much hitting so I think we can let him go. JayDub wasn't at his best this past yea but I will miss his arm.— notch44
- David, from one Explorer to another, nice job on explaining a tough subject. As for amanda and soupy, they need to get together and compare estrogen levels.— Bob1
- you're quoting Milton when writing an article about Werth? Oh please... trying to cover up your failings of wanting to be a literary writer by being just another philly hack sports writer.— amanda hugnkiss
- sign werth and Lee— hannigan
Comment removed.- Oh yeah, how did Cliff Lee do in the WS this year? Cliff Lee can't hit and that is what hurt the Phillies this season, not pitching. And they have Halladay and Oswalt for the next couple of years. With Lee gone, there'd be no Oswalt to complement Doc and Hamels. Enough with Cliff Lee. How many perfect games and no-hitters did he pitch this season?— mike l
- Apologies for the grammatical error. And much respect to everybody who caught it. As for Soupy - if you do subscribe to the print product, you will get stories that have been copy-edited by professional editors. You also spelled "grammatically" wrong.
- Diaz would be a fine pick up for us. In the past he has killed us although this year we handled him for the first time. Question is, will his magic wear off once he gets out of a Braves uniform? Some players just are meant to be on a certain team and their luck runs out when traded. I do think he is more consistent hitter than Francouer. From a cost standpoint it also makes sense to get Diaz.— bradco
- Hey LaSalle grad.. it is You and Me not You and I.— stoky
some good info here good job- "He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than a king." ---John Milton
And one may argue that "He who reigns within himself and rules passions, desires, and fears is more than" an average fan of the game of baseball.
Let's hope that Ruben Amaro can "reign within himself" and "rule [his] passions", and meet Phillies phans "desires", while qwelling their "fears".
Thanks for the explanation, Mr. Murphy.
As for the correct use of object and subject pronouns, consider who is receiving the action, and who is taking the action.."I" take action, whereas actions are taking against "me".
And while we must consider the worth of Werth to the Phillies and to others, let us hope that Jayson himself follows Albert Einstein's tenet:
“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”— pigday31 - strandman...please read David's explanation again...it would have all depended on who signed Lee...
— stan the man too - I think David meant to quote a different MILTON who once said...."Experience is what you have after you've forgotten her name"
Milton Berle— stan the man too - Soupy is right. Murphy's stock in trade is the ability to write a coherent sentence. He shouldn't be so cavalier about the mis-use of even a single word. Great article, though.— Rowland
- Soupy....he's a LaSalle grad to boot!
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Hopefully they keep Werth. He's a character.
- ok information,overload!......heres my take.....SIGH JAYSON,AND END THIS B/S..HE'S PHILLIES PHAMILY!,GET THIS DONE!— t_darb_56
- @Cliff Lee - Thanks, that explains it.— P Even
- so...if they had kept Lee you'd have to find some other thing to complain about instead of the same old tired complaint. Good to know!— smfree31
- Diaz would be fine pick to platoon. Braves knowing Phills situation hard to think they are letting hom out there. Then they can go out and sign Downes, Saito and maybe Park. They should give Bastardo a chance at rotation which means they would need 2nd lefty in pen when he wins assignment. Before someone blogs that he's a reliever Bastardo was top starter in minors till this year. If they want to get creative buy out Lidge sign Rays Soriano. All that can be done if they dont sign Jayson. Diaz is a strong hitter will not give team defense and speed that Werth does but we would pick up in the other moves.— Don w
- so...had they kept Lee, they'd be getting a #1 pick and a supplemental pick instead of the bag of balls they actually got. Good to know!
- soupy sucks
- Soupy, you are an idiot. Murph- awesome explanation of a pretty complicated matter. Thanks for the insight we usually don't get rom reporters!
- Soupy, I believe I speak for all the readers of this blog (as well as Murph) when I say, GET A LIFE CLOWN!— CLIFF LEE IS GONE...STOP WHINING!
- I have never seen anyone take the time to explain this. Well done. Thanks.— smfree31
- Murph, please learn the correct usage of "you and me" vs."you and I". It's simple;just drop the second person, and it becomes obvious. Therefore, "Milton... paved the way for ... I to sit inside" is obviously gramattically incorrect. I'll pay to subscribe if it will be used to pay an editor!
— soupy1 - P Even, the comp picks for the DBacks, Brewers, and Padres are for unsigned 2010 first round draft picks. The draft positions are based on where the unsigned pick was drafted, so the picks are not 16, 17, and 18...the DBacks comp pick is 7, the Padres' is 10, and the Brewers' is 15. Hope that helps.— CLIFF LEE IS GONE...STOP WHINING!
- Murph---you have the best 'inside' articles showing loads of research and thought. And a LaSalle grad to boot.— Romus
- Thanks for the detail. Where did the "compensation picks for the Diamondbacks, Padres and Brewers" come from? And are they picks 16, 17 and 18? If so, how is Anaheim 17?
— P Even - Great article. This is a side to baseball that people don't commonly know. We need to replenish the farm.— Vote for Dickie
