With the new MLB collective bargaining agreement completed, the Blue Jays took the opportunity to try to get some draft picks out of their type-A and B free agents, before the latter is scrapped. The club offered arbitration to Kelly Johnson, Frank Francisco, Jose Molina, and somewhat surprisingly, Jon Rauch. Of the group, only Kelly Johnson is a type-A, while Shawn Camp, a type-B free agent, was not offered arbitration.
The Blue Jays could stand to gain 5 draft picks here – Kelly Johnson is basically as good as gone, being that he will no longer cost a team a first round pick to sign under the new CBA, but rather a pair of picks between the first and 2nd round. Could the Blue Jays resign him? It’s possible – but the new CBA rules means he will get more lucrative offers from interested teams in the league, now that the first-rounder isn’t a signing cost. The arbitration move will also look to yield a return on Jose Molina, who had all but signed with the Rays...
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