5 Brewers file for free agency

Mike Cameron, Frank Catalanatto, Jason Kendall, Felipe Lopez, and Corey Patterson all filed for free agency.  Whether or not the Brewers will decide to try and resign any of the other’s remains to be seen.  I wouldn’t bring back any of these guys.  The trade of J.J. Hardy for Carlos Gomez sealed Cameron’s fate.  Catalanatto didn’t show me enough last season to merit a spot on my bench.  Jason Kendall is someone I’ve written about a lot this year and we know where I stand.  Kendall’s skills have diminished at the dish and behind the plate.  I would only consider him in a reduced role for 2010.  Kendall is best suited to play a game or two a week and serve as a team mentor.  Felipe Lopez had a terrific year, but the Brewers are locked in with Rickie Weeks and Alcides Escobar.  Corey Patterson has never put it together at the plate and is best suited as a fourth outfielder.  I like Jody Gerut in that role better than Patterson.  Cameron, Kendall, and Lopez are Class “B” free agents, but I’m not sure how quickly they’ll come off the market.  Catalanatto and Patterson don’t have a grade and won’t bring the Brewers compensation if they sign elsewhere.      

Here’s how the free agent classification works.  The Elias Sports Bureau set up a statistical system to rank players and Type A free agents rank in the upper 20% of their position groups.  Type B free agents rank in the upper 40%, but not in the upper 20%.  In Lehman’s terms studs are Type A, good players are type B.  Clubs receive compensation if they lose a player classified as a Type A or Type B free agent. If a club loses a Type A free agent, it receives a first-round Draft pick (second-round pick if the signing team is selecting in the first 15 picks overall) plus a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds. If a club loses a Type B free agent, it receives a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds.  The player must sign elsewhere before Dec. 1 or is offered arbitration and declines to receive the compensatory pick.
Business will continue to pick up as players can file for free agency until November 19th and clubs can negotiate with their free agents until that day.  Now Gm’s can talk to other team’s free agents or representatives, but can’t talk about money.  The General Managers meetings are taking place until November 11th.   The winter meetings are December 7th-10th in the baseball hotbed that is Indianapolis.  Their Triple-A team has had a lot of support throughout the years.  I’ll have more on all the players I would go after in later posts.

Tags: Brewers, Mike Cameron