Mid-year Elias Sports Bureau free agent rankings

At the end of each season, The Elias Sports Bureau ranks all MLB players numerically based on a bunch of stats. Every player is categorized in one of five position groups and by league. The rankings cover a two-year time period. They are used to determine whether free agents are Type A, Type B, or neither. If you'd like a reminder on how draft pick compensation works, read up here.

Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts reverse-engineered the Elias Rankings last year. Eddie's incredible work was made possible in large part due to information provided by ESPN's Keith Law. Eddie is now providing the rankings exclusively to MLB Trade Rumors. Today's snapshot covers the beginning of the 2008 season through July 11th of 2009. So the rankings will obviously change over the next few months.

Most interesting to me:
1. Winn still a class A free agent (barely)
2. surprising little difference in Cains and Johnson's rankings

4 months ago melottfan 23 comments 1 recs |

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Maybe that’s why Winn isn’t getting benched? They are trying to keep his PA’s and RBIz high enough to be type A?

Brandon Crawford: Your SF Giants 2011 Opening Day starting SS!

by Azmanz on Jul 12, 2009 8:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It would also be awesome if RJ was a Type A and someone else signed him next year.

Brandon Crawford: Your SF Giants 2011 Opening Day starting SS!

by Azmanz on Jul 12, 2009 8:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Quick thoughts

Will any team touch Delgado with a 10 foot pole in the offseason if he remains an A?

Lackey (B), Washburn (unranked), and Brad Penny (unranked) are going to be very popular and get big contracts if they remain healthy and don’t move up in category.

It’s unbelievable how low some players are ranked. Jason Bay and Pablito especially stand out to me.

It seems to me that this system places a lot of weighting on a starting pitcher’s W/L record – which is why Cain and RJ are so closely ranked.

"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner

by Fla-Giant on Jul 12, 2009 9:24 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I almost forgot...

Will any team touch our Bengie Molina with 10 footer if he remains an A?

"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner

by Fla-Giant on Jul 12, 2009 9:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the Rankings go off the last 2 years

So Pablo is at a disadvantage by only playing little but last year. I imagine Lackeys injuries keep his ranking lower.

Chris Dominguez: Bringing dingerz back to The Bay (In a while)

by CB30 on Jul 12, 2009 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I read the OP that these rankings are from the beginning of 2008 through the end of June 2009. Even with that I thought that Pablito’s last 2 months last year and his first 2.5 this year would add up to something near Delgado’s numbers (since he missed about 6 weeks in May and June of this year).

"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner

by Fla-Giant on Jul 12, 2009 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

3 potential Type Free Agents is good. I hope that we somehow get draft picks out of Molina and Winn. Hopefully the economy picks up by the offseason.

Chris Dominguez: Bringing dingerz back to The Bay (In a while)

by CB30 on Jul 12, 2009 9:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Only fly in the ointment is that we'd have to a) offer arbitration and b) have the player decline.

Would Molina decline? Would Winn?

Noonan. Nooooonan!

by Giant Fan in Singapore on Jul 12, 2009 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think they’re both already starting to decline

My adopted Giant: "Raptor Jesus" Guzman

by Goofus on Jul 12, 2009 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

/rimshot

My adopted Giant: "Raptor Jesus" Guzman

by Goofus on Jul 12, 2009 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You forgot c)

C) Will any other team consider signing them if they have to give up their 1st round pick?

"There ain’t much to being a ballplayer, if you’re a ballplayer." - Honus Wagner

by Fla-Giant on Jul 12, 2009 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A bottom 15 team could sign them and only lose a 2nd.

Proud father of Juan Carlos Perez. Think Albert Pujols at second.

@#$% Juan Uribe. Dios es grande.

by marcello on Jul 12, 2009 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I cant imagine a top 15 pick team signing either Winn or Molina. That would be pretty dumb.

Chris Dominguez: Bringing dingerz back to The Bay (In a while)

by CB30 on Jul 12, 2009 11:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why not?

Some of those teams are bad for a reason.

Proud father of Juan Carlos Perez. Think Albert Pujols at second.

@#$% Juan Uribe. Dios es grande.

by marcello on Jul 13, 2009 8:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just hope the Mets stay bad and decide they need Molina.

Chris Dominguez: Bringing dingerz back to The Bay (In a while)

by CB30 on Jul 13, 2009 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’ll shoot someone if we offer Molina arbitration.

Adoptive parent of Noah Lowry.

:-(

by Cookyman on Jul 13, 2009 5:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think it would be so bad if they offered him arbitration, and might even want to.

First, I don’t think he would accept. He said before the season that he didn’t want to take a single-year deal, and accepting arbitration would basically be accepting a one-year deal. Plus, he has to know that Posey is the future, and would spend a good portion of the year on the bench.

However, knowing that he is a Type A, and after seeing what happened to players such as Varitek this past off season, the $6+ million that he would get through arbitration might be the best he thinks he can do, and he’ll accept. If he does accept, it allows us to be a bit more patient with Posey. We could let Bengie start the year off as the starter, and bring Posey up when he would no longer be eligible for Super-2 status. Then Posey can start 4-5 games a week, and Bengie can help mentor him through his first year (which he showed that he was willing to do last year with Pablo). The only real downside is if Bochy is brought back, then Bengie is our cleanup hitter for a portion of the season, which would be frustrating, but is not really Bengie’s fault as much as it would be Bochy’s.

Random side note: When looking up Bengie’s contract on Cot’s, it says he is supposed to attend Athletic Performance Training Program each offseason. Can we recover some of his money for breach of contract please?

by Splash Down on Jul 13, 2009 8:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Molina will accept arbitration. He’s been talking for a while now about how he want to stay with the team, and like you said, he’ll get more in arbitration than on the FA market. Paying $6M for Molina is bad idea in my opinion – $6M is what league average players are getting now. Posey should be in Fresno soon – if he hits well there until the end of the year, I think I’d rather start the year with Holm as our catcher than re-sign Molina.

Adoptive parent of Noah Lowry.

:-(

by Cookyman on Jul 13, 2009 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess the deciding factor for me is who is managing the team next year.

If Bengie is a 6/7 hitter for a portion of the season, I think he’s a good insurance option for $6M.

If Bochy is back and he’s hitting 4 for a majority of the season, do not want

by Splash Down on Jul 13, 2009 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Again, six million dollars isn’t that cheap in today’s economy.

Adoptive parent of Noah Lowry.

:-(

by Cookyman on Jul 13, 2009 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Surprises to the point of being bizarre: Carlos Lee ranked ahead of Pujols; Winn ranked ahead of Adrian Gonzalez; and Sandoval ranked behind Renteria, who, I see, is ahead of Furcal. I note that by these rankings, B. Molina is the fourth best catcher in the league.

by campanari on Jul 12, 2009 9:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs