As it stands right now, the Yankees would have the 16th pick in the draft, or in other words, the first pick that can be forfeited to another team for signing a Type A free agent. The first fifteen picks are protected--if they sign a Type A free agent, that player's previous team gets a pick in the compensation round between the first and second rounds and then the team's second round pick, which is still a pretty good haul but it's not getting one of those top players in the draft.

Here are the teams that would that, coming into today's action, would have the top picks in next year's June amateur draft and their respective winning percentages:

1. Washington .381
2. San Diego .385
3. Seattle .390
4. Pittsburgh .415
5. Kansas City .425
6. Atlanta .442
7. Baltimore .448
8. Cincinnati .449
9. San Francisco .449
10. Colorado .453
11. Oakland .456
12. Detroit .479
13. Cleveland .493
14. Arizona .493
15. Florida .510
16. New York Y. .527

Now you never in a million years advocate throwing games in order to get a better spot in the next year's draft and let's face it, the Yankees are going to go out and pursue the guys they want just as hard if they have the best record in the majors as they would if they had the worst record in the majors or anywhere in the middle. Wouldn't it be nice, however, to know that the Yankees could go out and sign C.C Sabathia or Mark Teixeria and not have to worry about surrendering their first round pick? On the other hand, it would be awful if they sign Teixeria and then have to surrender their first round pick to the Angels, who have beaten up on them relentlessly the past couple of seasons. So I guess we just cheer that the Yankees end the season well but some combination of the Marlins, the Diamondbacks and/or the Indians just end the season on a red hot tear and rattled off a few wins.

Update: the Brewers have fallen to a place where they are tied with the Yankees. If they lose more games, it looks like more of a sure thing that the Yankees will have a pick that would need to be forfeited in the event of signing a Type A free agent.

Forget it: 22 teams finished with a worse record then the Yankees with another (the Mets) finishing with an identical record.

BUMP

With the off-season fast approaching and a bunch of Type A free agents fast approaching, I think it will be helpful to bump this to see where those draft picks line up and what's at stake with the game of "who could end up where".

1. Washington 59-102 .366
2. Seattle 61-101 .377
3. San Diego 63-99 .389
4. Pittsburgh 67-95 .414
5. Baltimore 68-93 .422

*6. San Fran 72-90 .444
*7. Atlanta 72-90 .444

*8. Detroit 74-88 .457
*9. Cincy 74-88 .457
*10. Colorado 74-88 .457

11. Kansas City 75-87 .463
12. Oakland 75-86 .466
13. Texas 79-83 .488
14. Cleveland 81-81 .500
15. Arizona 82-80 .506

Those are the protected picks--if any of them sign a Type A free agent, the team losing them gets that team's second round pick and a sandwich pick between rounds 1 and 2.

16. L.A. Dodgers 84-78 .519 (****s to be them)
17. Florida 84-77 .522
*18. St. Louis 86-76 .531
*19. Toronto 86-76 .531
20. Houston 86-75 .534
21. Minnesota 88-75 .540
22. Chicago W.S. 89-74 .546

*23. New York M. 89-73 .549
*24. New York Y. 89-73 .549
25. Milwaukee 90-72 .556
26. Philadelphia 92-70 .568
27. Boston 95-67 .586
28. Tampa Bay 97-65 .599
29. Chicago C. 97-64 .602
30. Los Angeles 100-62 .617

I was off a little. Here, some one who gets paid to do this and knew about the compensation for not signing this year's top picks did it.

source

Bump

With the off-season upon us, this could become relevant very soon.

The Yankees have 4 (count 'em, 4) Type A free agents. Of them, Andy Pettitte is likely to return (or retire) and Mike Mussina is likely to retire. The Yankees are expected to decline Damaso Marte's $6 million option and negotiate a new deal with him (I think they should maybe just exercise the option--I don't want to see a repeat of the Jon Lieber situation, where they thought they could get him at a cheaper deal and he ended up going elsewhere). Bobby Abreu and Ivan Rodriguez (a Type B) are expected to sign elsewhere, netting the Yankees 3 draft picks.