Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
The Arizona Diamondbacks cashed in on yet another pair of early draft picks when type A free agent Juan Cruz signed with the Kansas City Royals. Since the Royals were among the 15 worst teams in the MLB last year, they can't lose their first-round pick, but they did forfeit their second rounder after signing the live-armed Cruz.
Last week the Diamondbacks plucked a first-round pick away from their division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, when the Dodgers signed type A free agent Orlando Hudson. Since the Dodgers were among the 15 best teams in all of baseball last year (just making the cut as the worst of the best), the D-Backs were able to snag the Dodgers first-rounder.
They also landed a pair of supplemental first-round picks, adding two more to the one they already received when type B free agent Brandon Lyon signed with the Tigers.
So, in addition to the team's first-round pick, the 16th overall selection, they have also added the very next pick, 17th overall, the three sandwich picks (which currently stand as the 35th, 40th and 45th overall selections), and an additional second-rounder (currently the 59th overall pick).
That's good news for a team that remains a contender for the seemingly weak National League West division, despite losing several talented players. Plenty of young talent remains on the team, much of the talent the team procured on their own through the draft, which not too long ago gave them one of the strongest systems in the game. Since then the talent below the Major League level has thinned, despite the presence of several promising players, so these extra picks will be most welcomed to possibly serve as a wave of talent the organization can look forward to three to five years down the road.
So what makes the Diamondbacks so lucky?
Considering that entering the offseason several other teams looked poised to have the most compensation picks, only to have a poor series of circumstances effect them, the D-Backs and their fans should feel somewhat blessed to have the picks they do, where they do, as compensation for a trio of good, but not great players.
Take the Milwaukee Brewers, who entered the offseason hoping there was a way they could retain CC Sabathia, but likely knowing their chances were not that great. They figured that losing Sabathia would at the very worst garner a first-round compensation pick and an additional sandwich rounder, the consolation prize for losing the most integral member to the team ending their 26 year postseason drought.
All they had to hope for is that the team that signed Sabathia, the second-best free agent available (according to the Elias Sports Bureau rankings), did not also sign Mark Teixeira, the top ranked free agent available.
That's exactly what happened when the Yankees signed them both.
And the Brewers weren't the only ones effected by this. The Blue Jays got hit even harder since the Yankees also signed A.J. Burnett, the fourth-best free agent available.
So, the Angels will receive the Yankees first-round pick, the Brewers get their second-rounder and the Blue Jays land their third-round pick. The Yankees will still have a pick in the first and second rounds since they did not sign two of their top picks from a year ago, Gerrit Cole and Scott Bittle. Neither pick can be forfeited due to the team's free agent activity.
Going back to the Brewers, while they did land a sandwich pick for left-handed relief specialist Brian Shouse, the injury situation of their other staff stalwart, Ben Sheets, will likely prevent any team from signing him before the draft is conducted. That means the team loses out on any draft pick compensation, unless they too get a little lucky between now and early June.
This has caused Brewers and Blue Jays fans alike to question the draft compensation system while condemning the Yankees for their actions. While it certainly is an unfortunate situation for them, I'm not so sure that there is anything necessarily wrong with the current free agent compensation system, and even if there were something wrong, I have my doubts that anyone involved in baseball would take the necessary steps to implement a system that made more sense. More than likely, compensation picks would be eliminated completely, which some felt was going to happen just before the last Collective Bargaining Agreement was agreed upon.
And as much as their fans my not like it, I can't blame the Yankees for being in a position to sign three of the best players not only available on the free agent market this offseason, but in all of baseball.
The Diamondbacks certainly aren't complaining.