If we've gained anything this offseason, it's that we can now be 100% absopositutelutely sure that the free agent compensation system used by MLB is flawed.  Here's my idea on how to fix the system.  It's not too far from the current system, I think it just fixes a few illogical steps in the process and makes it more fair.

Rank all free agents based on WAR (or something like that, I'm not great with all the new metrics for player value, but I thought WAR was a good one, anyways it doesn't matter too much).  The FAs are then broken up into type A, B, and no comp, similarly to how they are done now, except they'd be based on WAR over the past 3 years instead of whatever stats are used now. 

When a Type A FA signs with a team, if that team has a top 15 draft pick, it's still protected, but if that team's pick is not protected, their pick goes into a pool for compensation.  Teams still don't have to surrender a pick for signing Type B Free Agents, but sandwich picks would still be given for both Type A and B.  After all the free agents sign, or right before the Rule 4 Draft, the picks from the pool are distributed based on the rankings of the free agents.  Here's an example that I hope will illustrate my point.

Without looking up WAR (I know, very lazy) say these free agents rank as follows:

1. Mark Teixeira, 2. CC Sabathia, 3. Brian Fuentes

There would obviously be many more in between, but I'm just simplifying it for the sake of this illustration.

Yankees sign Teixeira and Sabathia, Angels sign Fuentes.  Yankees surrender their 1st and 2nd Round Picks, and Angels surrender 1st round pick.  In the current system, the Brewers receive the Yankees 2nd rounder and a sandwich pick, the Angels receive the Yankees 1st rounder and a sandwich pick, and the Rockies receive the Angels 1st rounder.  Now, how is it fair that, although the Brewers lost a better FA than the Rockies, they receive a lesser pick?  I feel that teams should be compensated based on how much they lost, as they obviously don't have any impact on where they sign. 

In my system, the picks would be distributed as follows.  All the picks surrended would be in a pool, and they would be given out based on the rankings of the players lost by each team.  So the Angels would get NYY 1st rounder (+ #1 sandwich pick), Brewers would get LAA 1st rounder (+ #2 sandwich pick), and Rockies get NYY 2nd rounder (+ #3 sandwich pick).

The major downfall with this is that the Yankees (or any team who signs multiple Type A's) have a diminishing draft pick cost to sign the next Type A, but I'm not sure how that could be avoided.  Overall, however, I think this system would do a much better job of equitably distributing draft pick compensation.  Now let's hope Bud Selig is reading this...what else is he getting paid $18 MM to do?

The combination of an enormous amount of top prospect lists being published over the last few weeks and a similarly large amount of free time on my hands led me to creating a Fanpost about MLB Comparisons for our top prospects.  I used to follow Red Sox prospects quite a bit, and soxprospects.com always had a MLB comp for each of the prospects listed.  I always found them quite interesting and somewhat useful, so I decided to see some comps for our guys generated by the informed readers of BCB.  I'm going to list my prospects for the first 10, according to BA's rankings, and a few others for whom I can come up with a good comp. 

These are really more just for fun and to pass time until ST, so I won't be basing mine solely off stats, more off of scouting reports I've seen.  And also, I realize that our list will probably end up having 15 or so prospects with All-Star MLB comps, but they're just for fun, and these comps usually end up being best case scenarios anyways.

Alcides Escobar - Derek Jeter - JUST KIDDING!  I think a good comp is tough to determine, because he's got so much more offensive development, but I'll go with Yunel Escobar with much more speed.

Mat Gamel - Here's one where I'll use stats: Nick Markakis.  Go look at their ML stats.  Same ages at same levels, and slash lines are eerily similar.  Gamel might end up in RF anyway.

Brett Lawrie - I can't think of one for him yet, all the reports I've read are pretty general: A great, polished hitter.

Jeremy Jeffress - Ervin Santana

Angel Salome - Pudge Rodriguez, only comp I could come up with since Angel's so unique.

Lorenzo Cain - Matt Kemp.  I like this one a lot

Cutter Dykstra - Couldn't think of a good one.  Maybe Brian Roberts minus some SBs.

Taylor Green - Stephen Drew with obvious position difference

Cole Gillespie -Corey Hart, though I really think Cole will max out as 4th OF, so a lesser version of Corey Hart

Jonathan Lucroy - Ramon Hernandez

Zach Braddock - Scott Kazmir.  Obviously, a long way to go, but his stuff sounds very similar with the low 90s fastball and sharp slider.

Omar Aguilar - Juan Cruz, but bigger.

Caleb Gindl - Pretty obvious - Brian Giles, I can't take credit for that one, I've seen it all over.

Remember, these are best-case scenario, because just as I suspected, this would be a team full of All-Stars, oh well.

This arbitration talk and the 2nd base projections have got me thinking about Rickie Weeks more and more.  I guess I didn't really realize that he is already in his 2nd arbitration year, and will be a FA after next. 

I got to thinking about his future with the Brewers and came to the conclusion that I think I'd really be in favor of signing Rickie to a 4 year or so deal.  I just see a possibility of tremendous value in such a deal.  His struggles have been well-chronicled, but the more advanced metrics show that he is, at worst, around league average.  We all have seen his flashes of brilliance, and the underlying potential that may or may not ever show itself, but I think if we could lock him up at league average price, there is fairly low risk involved, especially with his age still below the magical 27 (I think).

Below are a few fangraph stats:

Weeks 6th in WPA for 2B in 2008

.334 wOBA, with .333 about average (I believe) for all positions

Sorry if these are cherry-picked, I don't yet have the stat-savvy experience of KLSnow, Sackmann, jihad, or the likes....

No...nothing to link to, more of a hairbrained idea on my part and I wanted to get the opinions of others.  I was wondering how the Brewers were going to get a LH bat into their lineup with most of the position players established RH bats.  Looking at Keith Law's top 50 FA's the other day, it crossed my mind that Adam Dunn could fit niecly in the brewers lineup.  While he wouldn't have a position right now, if the Crew were to trade Corey Hart, I'd love to see Dunn in LF, with Braun moving to RF.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Corey Hart, and his final month doesn't concern me as much as others.  But, The brewers have a decent number of OF prospects (Cain, Gillespie, maybe Gamel) who have proven that they may be ready by 2010 (or earlier in Gamel's case, maybe Gillespie too).  Dunn could slot into LF if Hart is traded, and then move to 1B when Fielder leaves, or is traded, at which point Gillespie or Cain could fill into the OF.

I realize that CF is where we'd all like to have Cain, and Cameron isn't a long term solution, so maybe trading Hart would make a hole in the future.  But, I really like the idea of Braun, Fielder, Dunn in some combo in the middle of our lineup.  Also, I think Dunn is one FA who could actually be a bargain because of his K and BA numbers, which, most of us realize, are relatively unimportant, but still seem to matter to many GM's.

So, in closing, sorry to speculate/dream, but I'd really like to see Dunn in Royal and Gold, assuming we could still get fair value for Hart.  Thoughts?

The future of prince fielder has been widely discussed, with a substantial portion of the population here assuming he'll be traded.  The losers of the Teixeira sweepstakes this offseason could be very interested in fielder, although he doesn't have half the glove of teixeira.  I would just like to see what types of packages people think we could get for fielder.  Pitching would likely be the priority, probably shifting Gamel to first.  These are a few packages i came up with.

Fielder to Angels for Ervin Santana and Brandon Wood (a possible 4A player, 3B/ss with tons of power and Ks)

Fielder to Royals for Zach Greinke (a BCB favorite!) and prospects (not familiar with their system)

Fielder to Giants for Matt Cain and prospects (don't think we could get Lincecum)

Fielder to Yankees for Joba Chamberlin (don't think it would ever happen, but i'd love it)

Fielder to Yankees for Phil Hughes and C Jesus Montero

Fielder to Blue Jays for Shaun Marcum

Fielder to Rays for James Shields and another pitching prospect not named David Price (couldn't get Kazmir)

The orioles and mariners would probably be interested, but they don't have much to offer

Sorry to spend time speculating, as i know it annoys some, but i need a diversion from the Brewers' past two performances

"Heyman believes the Mets are very willing to trade Lastings Milledge and have discussed him often."
-per mlbtraderumors.com

the mets are in the market for starting pitchers.  how about cappy and maybe a low-mid prospect for milledge to play left field for the crew.

Another option i have heard is randy winn, who would be a good veteran presence in left field.

I think my personal favorite would be to swing a deal for Jeff Clement and Raul Ibanez.  The Mariners are known to be looking for starting pitching help.  I think a deal with sheets and a low/mid level prospect could get this done.  Clement is blocked by johjima anyways.  I don't necessarily want to deal sheets, but i would certainly be in favor of a deal like that. SIDE NOTE: ibanez comes off the books after 08 season, opening the door for LaPorta