Elias releases 2007 player rankings

As the title implies, Elias released their annual player rankings (here’s the AL and NL), which determines whether a player is a Type-A or Type-B free agent. A team that signs a Type-A free agent forfeits their first round pick to the player’s old team as compensation; the former team also picks up a supplemental first rounder. Type-B’s only net the former team a supplemental first rounder. The first 15 picks of the draft are protected, so if a team owning one of those picks signs a Type-A free agent, they lose their second rounder instead. The draft order can be found on the right sidebar of BA’s draft page.

As far as Yankees are concerned, A-Rod, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte are all Type-A free agents while only The Viz is a Type B free agent. Roger Clemens, Doug Mientkiewicz, Jose Molina and Ron Villone do not rank, so the Yanks won’t gain a pick if they sign elsewhere. With any luck, A-Rod will sign with either the Brewers, Blue Jays, Braves, Cubs or Mariners, which would give the Yanks a pick before the Tigers in the first round (those damn Tigers won’t think twice about grabbing a signability guy if/when he falls).