Just a minute before the midnight deadline to offer arbitration to their own article XX (B) free agents, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that they have made offers to Kelly Johnson (type-A), Frank Francisco (type-B), Jose Molina (B), and Jon Rauch (B). Shawn Camp (type-B) was not offered arbitration.
An offer of arbitration means that the Jays are prepared to offer the players at least a one-year non-guaranteed contract. The player may choose to decline the offer, and it will make him a free agent and able to sign with any other team. The Jays will receive a supplementary draft pick for all of them if they do sign elsewhere.
Under the new CBA's "transition" rules for this offseason, Kelly Johnson was classified as a "modified type-A" free agent. The Jays will receive a first round pick directly above the signing team's pick unless Johnson signs with a team with a protected first round pick (HOU, MIN, SEA, BAL, KCR, CHC, SDP, PIT, MIA, COL, OAK, NYM, CWS, CIN, CLE), and in that case the Jays will get to pick before the signing team's second round selection.
This means that if all the free agents decline arbitration, the Jays could have up to 7 first round picks in the 2012 Rule 4 Draft (Jays' 1st round, compensation for Tyler Beede, 1st round for Johnson, supplementary round for Johnson, 3 supplementals for the 3 type-B free agents). The Rays had 9 and the Jays had 4 in the 2011 draft.
