Braves face difficult free-agent decisions

But with Wagner as Type A instead of Type B, would they still consider him?

The Braves aren't providing any indication, but general manager Frank Wren agreed at last week's GM meetings in Chicago that draft picks are valued more now by teams wanting to hold down costs.

One way of doing that is to draft and develop impact players, who are usually affordable for at least four or five seasons.

During last week's general managers meetings in Chicago, White Sox GM Kenny Williams said: "It really puts the [Type A free agent], who has worked his tail off, in a compromising position from my perspective. Because you have teams that want them -- there are guys out there I'd certainly have interest in -- if they weren't Type A's.

"But I'm not going to give up my first-round pick for a non-impact-type player, one who's just a complimentary-type player. I'll look in other areas first."

Type A free agents, if offered arbitration by their current teams before a Dec. 1 deadline, will cost any other team signing them a first-round draft pick -- if that signing team isn't picking between 1 and 15, which are "protected" picks.

The Braves will pick 17th or 18th in the 2010 draft; there was still some discrepancy last week, Wren said. Either way, the pick's not protected.

Wren was asked about what Williams said about hanging onto draft picks.

"I think that's becoming more and more the feeling, that you're weighing the value of those draft picks -- sometimes maybe overvaluing them," Wren said. "You talk to general managers, I think the pendulum might have swung a little too far on the value of young players. But that's a good thing in that we're valuing player development and scouting, which I think will create deeper and stronger clubs."

Teams losing a Type-A free agent also receive a supplemental or "sandwich pick" created between the first two rounds.

Type-B free agents draw only a compensatory "sandwich" pick, so the team signing him isn't giving up its own draft pick. Braves free agents Adam LaRoche and Garret Anderson are Type B. (Free agents who don't make either category, the majority of free agents, don't bring compensation.)

The Braves have to decide whether to offer arbitration to their free agents, and the Soriano, Gonzalez and LaRoche cases aren't easy. If any or all accept arbitration, they could get a one-year contract with a significant raise.

Considering the salaries they had in ‘09 -- LaRoche, $7.05 million; Soriano, $6.35 million; Gonzalez, $3.45 million -- it's obvious how that could have major ramifications on the Braves' payroll, which is expected to remain in the $92-95 million range in 2010. Soriano could see a raise to at least $8.5 million through arbitration and LaRoche at least $9 million.

"If we signed a Type-A free agent we would lose our first-round pick [because] it's after the 15th pick," Wren said. "That being the case, it would behoove us hopefully to have additional picks. The potential exists that we could offer arbitration for our guys -- it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have them back on one-year, non-guaranteed contracts if they accepted arbitration.

"That means they're turning down multi-year guaranteed contracts [elsewhere]."