FANTASY ROX 2009

Fuentes is a FA so not sure how the rocks would recieve players back.

I think you are looking at a little bit better deal than or CC is some organizations 2nd and 5-7th best prospects in return for Holliday

If so, and he turns it down and signs elsewhere, Rox get two picks. In theory, he can accept arbitration and be traded, but that seems highly unlikely.

I believe that pending free agents are always “arbitration eligible”. It’s just that the players with 6+ years of experience can decline arbitration and become a FA, whereas less experienced players must either settle with the team or accept the arbitration amount.

The issue of the team having to offer abitration and have it declined in order to get compensatory picks is the rough equivalent of having to tender an NFL player an offer in order to get pick when a team nabs a restricted football free agent. There is an element of risk. The player could accept and be given a big salary via arbitration. This happened to the Braves several years ago. They offered Maddux arbitration, thinking he would decline and they would get the compensatory picks. But Maddux accepted, and they ended up having to pay him something like 16M. The next year, they didn’t offer abitration and let him leave without any compensation.

Often, there is a “gentlemen’s agreement” between player and team that the player will decline arbitration. I would be surprised if Fuentes accepts arbitration, simply because he can get more money elsewhere.