The Elias player rankings were released today. Under the CBA, the rankings are used to determine whether players are Type A or B. The classification determines which draft picks former teams receive as compensation if they sign with another team. The top 20% of the rankings are A and the next 40% B. Type A free agents cost the signing team their first round selection (provided it is not 1-15) along with a first round supplemental selection (the supplemental round is held between the first and second rounds of the draft).
Here are the AL and NL rankings. The Nationals do not have any free agents that would return them any sort of compensation. Dmitri Young who signed a contract extension during the season would not have returned any compensation if was available on the free agent market. Ronnie Belliard would have been a Type B and returned a supplemental first round selection (assuming he was signed by someone else and the Nationals offered him arbitration).
#1 by Scrub fan - October 31st, 2007 at 21:18
Other interesting points, though- look how high Austin Kearns ranked. He was an A, if he were a free agent. Jon Rauch finished ahead of Chad Cordero, and both were and A. Saul Rivera was a B. I suppose we have to remember that some of the players we have really are trade worthy. Ryan Church fell below a B, but not by much.