Should the Tigers Offer Arbitration to Wilson Betemit?
by Tigerdog1 on Nov 15, 2011 12:00 AM EST
in Detroit Tigers Analysis
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Major League Baseball rules regarding compensation for free agent players are somewhat up in the air at the moment, because the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are expected to be announced any day now. The current agreement expires on December 11, 2011, and the players association is pushing to eliminate the rule that requires clubs to pay compensation when they sign a Type A free agent. Changes to the CBA may impact winter shopping plans, although it is not known whether any changes would be effective for the 2012 draft, or whether they would go into effect in 2013.
Many observers believe that uncertainty about the rules has had a chilling effect on the early off season action this year. The Tigers have no Type A free agents this off season, but they have two Type B free agents in Magglio Ordonez and Wilson Betemit. Under current rules, Detroit would receive a supplemental first round draft choice next June, should a Type B free agent player decline arbitration and sign with another club.
The Tigers may opt to offer arbitration to Betemit, although Dave Dombrowski has said that he would not be looking to sign Betemit at least early on during the off season. The Tigers do not have a history of offering arbitration just to get the compensation if they don’t truly want the player back for the next season. On the contrary, the Tigers have recently left draft picks laying on the table as free agent players left for multi year deals with other clubs, as Placido Polanco did..
The General Managers meeting begins today. Agents and club owners are also having separate meetings this week. The major league award winners will be announced during the week. We’re awaiting word on the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement, and decisions will be announced next week as to which players will be offered arbitration. The Tigers might be interested to know whether Blue Jays second baseman Kelly Johnson, for example, is offered arbitration, and if he is, whether the rules would require the Tigers to give up their first round pick should they sign him. Feel free to speculate about what the Tigers might do.
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We'd be stupid if we didn't.
"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz
"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching
Contributor, Bless You Boys
Unless they go out and get a 3B, no reason not to...
I don’t care if he couldn’t hit in the postseason, he did well enough in the regular season and he’s been an above average hitter most of his career.
President of the Tony Scheffler Fan Club
He's better than Inge
So we should offer him arbitration or just re-sign him to a 2 year deal for $3 Million. That would be an easy contract to move if we needed to trade him.
Signing bonus for a supplemental first round pick is right around $ 1 million
meaning that clubs feel it’s worth $ 1 million to get such a player into their organization,
but if you go “above slot” and get a guy like Nick Castellanos, who would be a legit first rounder but for signability concerns, the bonus would go up.
"King of Minutiae"
I wouldn't use the term "eating"
It’s not like he wouldn’t get any use. If we signed him, he’d immediately become a player in the 3B rotation (with Inge and Kelly) or a trade chip. I see him as a player that’s certainly useful to this team. He served a very valuable role last year (although people tend to forget it because of October). If we don’t have Betemit, as of today, we are relying on Inge and Kelly to play 3B. And just because they were both viable in October, I don’t think either should be considered the solution at 3B on a playoff team.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
If we get the supplemental pick, it's because Betemit declined arbitration and signed elsewhere
And we would have no need to eat a $2 million contract. If he accepted, then we wouldn’t get the pick, but we would have a 3rd baseman. I see no downside to this situation (other than still needing a 3rd baseman if he declines).
Yes - No Brainer
For the minimal price of his contract, you are most likely adding a high draft pick next year….higher than anyone in the 2011 draft. If he does accept arbitration, and the team ends up with Betemit’s contract, he’s certainly a player that’s probably worth the 1.5 – 2M he will cost. (But I believe he would be traded by the July deadline).
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
Here's a different twist on the CBA
From Joel Sherman, NY Post:
Joelsherman1 Joel Sherman
going forward. Expectation is that Type-B compensation will be eliminated this offseason and maybe a few Type-As who really shouldn’t be categorized that way like Saito, Kelly Johnson, etc
Okay, elminate compensation for Type B’s? Why would they do that, when no club has to pay compensation for a Type B player? Just to get rid of the supplemental picks? That would resolve the question in this article, as Betemit is a Type B free agent.
On the other hand, Kelly Johnson would be free of compensation. I’m not sure how much faith to put in Sherman’s take.
"King of Minutiae"
In that case, still offer
What’s the worst that happens?
"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz
"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching
Contributor, Bless You Boys
by David Tokarz on Nov 15, 2011 2:05 PM EST up reply actions
We should offer
but judging on his post season swings this year, i feel like he would decline and try to join the PGA tour
by forwarddownthefield on Nov 15, 2011 11:17 AM EST reply actions
offer him arbitration
If he accepts, then we see if we can get a better third basemen. If we can, then trade him. If we can’t, keep him. If he declines and the rule stays the same, we get a draft pick. If he declines and the rule doesn’t change, no harm, no foul.
Betemit and arbitration
There shud be no indication from the Tigers that they actually want WB at 3B at any time in the future. He plays no defense (think of RR at 3B winning the GG), he K’s more than Inge ever has, he cannot adjust, etc, etc. He gave the Tigers 3 or 4 good hits after he was acquired, unfortunately he gave all the runs back. Can you imagine WB at 3B with Jhonny at SS and DY in LF? Even DD and JL understood that he cannot play just as they understand that DY is not what they want in LF when 2012 starts. Better off with Raburn in LF and IngeKelly at 3B. No sense even thinking they will offer to WB, even though it won’t actually cost them a dime.
One more thought on WB
He got the “HoJo treatment” from the Tigers in the playoffs because they couldn’t stomach the thought of seeing him in the field. He did, however, have some great swings against Ogando, didn’t he?
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