Anyway… another factor to consider with the Corey Brown/Eury Perez discussion is the new CBA. Here’s the link from BA, but in a nutshell: players with six years of MLB service that sign minor-league deals are now entitled to both a $100K retention bonus and a midseason escape (June 1) clause unless teams release them before March 30.
Essentially, this is codifying what has been done with veterans for years. In theory*, it’s giving these players a better chance of hooking on elsewhere in the majors by making it more expensive for teams to stash them in AAA. According to the article, three Nats in camp fall into this group: Rick Ankiel, Jason Michaels, and Chad Durbin. Like all things CBA, what remains to be seen is how teams will react to the new rules. *Why do I get the sneaking suspicion that like 20 of these 30-odd players will hit the streets on the same day?
As Zuckerman noted yesterday, Ankiel seems nearly certain to rise above the fray of OFs bidding to join Jayson Werth and Michael Morse, but does Roger Bernadina necessarily have an additional edge (aside from already being on the 40-man, being younger, and cheaper) by not costing the team extra? Probably, given the presumption that it comes down to “The Shark,” Michaels, and Brett Carroll battling for the fifth OF slot.
In other news, Todd Boss has begun a series on Rule 5ers Brad Meyers and Erik Komatsu. You’ll be shocked to learn Brad Meyers why hasn’t appeared in the box scores (no, you really won’t) and how Erik Komatsu may actually stick with St. Louis. Turns out Meyers and Komatsu have something in common that might also not surprise you, especially when you consider that injuries and the Rule 5 draft go together like corruption and college sports.