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 If you have a question, send it to askba@baseballamerica.com. Please include your full name and hometown if you'd like your letter to be considered for use in an upcoming column. Also, please understand that we can't respond to every question. By Jim Callis Dec. 22, 2005 I'm back before Christmas as promised. We're just about done with the the 2006 Prospect Handbook, which you should get sometime in January if you ordered directly from us. The Handbook still draws most of my attention, so let's get to a couple of quick questions before I head back to that project.
Taal Martin New York A lot has changed in the three weeks since I last updated the free-agent compensation chart. Here's where we stand now: First Round
Supplemental First Round
Second Round
Supplemental Second Round
Third Round
Fourth Round
There are just four remaining free agents who will bring compensation if they sign with new clubs: Type A
Type B
James Qu Decatur, Ga. I'd rather have Marte than Ramirez in both the short term and the long term. Shortstop is a harder position to fill than third base, and if they both reach their ceilings, Ramirez will be the better player. But Ramirez never has had a breakout season to match his tools, and while he remains one of the game's best shortstop prospects, there seems to be something missing. I think when we look back on the Josh Beckett trade in a few years, we'll see that the Red Sox sold high on Ramirez. I still think he'll be a big league regular, but I'm less confident that he'll be a star. Marte's biggest problem in Atlanta was that he was blocked at third base by Chipper Jones, who doesn't want to return to the outfield. The Braves didn't have an obvious place to play him, and used him to get Edgar Renteria to fill their shortstop void left by Rafael Furcal. Where he'll play this year remains uncertain, because Boston has Mike Lowell at the hot corner and Marte has next to no experience at other positions, but Marte should become an all-star-caliber third baseman. It's also possible the Red Sox could flip him in another deal to address holes at other positions. At this point, Boston looks like the winner in both deals. I'd rather have Josh Beckett (along with Lowell and Guillermo Mota) than Ramirez and other three prospects (righties Anibal Sanchez, Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia) the Red Sox sent to the Marlins, and I'd rather have Marte than Edgar Renteria. Boston still needs to find a shortstop, however. Dec. 2, 2005 The good news: The 2006 Prospect Handbook is steaming toward completion, meaning it will be in your hands sooner than ever before (sometime in January if you ordered directly from us). The bad news: To get the Handbook done, it's going to need my full attention, so Ask BA is going into hibernation for a few weeks. It will return before Christmas, and we'll still be taking your questions in chat rooms here at BA.com (every couple of days, related to the team Top 10 Prospects lists) and at ESPN.com (every Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET). One of the most popular questions this week was where the lefthanders whom the Phillies received in the Jim Thome trade would fit on their Top 10. I'll give you a sneak preview of the Handbook by telling you that Gio Gonzalez slots in at No. 2, behind Cole Hamels, and Daniel Haigwood comes in at No. 6, behind Scott Mathieson. Before I go, I'll leave you with an update of the draft picks tied to free-agent compensation. This assumes that all the free agents who have signed to this point will be offered arbitration by their former clubs before the Dec. 7 deadline, because there's no reason not to. First Round
Supplemental First Round
Second Round
Supplemental Second Round
Third Round
Here are the remaining free agents who will bring compensation if their former clubs offer them arbitration: Type A
Type B
Type C (first-time free agents only)
See you in a couple of weeks! |
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