As of midnight, major league teams no longer had exclusive rights to talk to their own free agents.  They now have the ability to talk to all 225 free agents, so let the Hot Stove rumors begin.

This also means two of the Phillies biggest free agents, outfielder Pat Burrell and pitcher Jamie Moyer, are now on the open market and can talk to any major league team they choose to.  They will now have to complete with other teams in order to retain their players.

How does that affect the likelihood they’ll both return?

Burrell has been a life long Phillie and was drafted first overall in the 1998 draft. Reports are that the Phillies and Burrell have mutual interest in his return, but I still don’t think it’s likely. At 32, Burrell is looking for at least a four-year deal and at least at the same salary as he received last season ($15 million). Given the fact he’s averaged 31 home runs and 99 RBI’s throughout his career, some team will be willing to give him what he wants. Unfortunately, that probably will not be the Phillies. They would be willing to give Burrell the annual salary he wants; I just don’t see them offering any more than two years. If he’s willing to take a shorter contract, his return could happen, but given his defensive struggles the Phillies are not going to commit more than that. I don’t think Burrell’s going to budge on his four years, meaning he will most likely end up in the American League as a designated hitter. A position he’s probably better suited for.

Moyer on the other hand is someone I expected to be already under contract before midnight. Both Moyer and Phillies management made it clear about his return to Philadelphia. In fact Ruben Amaro Jr. stated resigning Moyer and reliever Scott Eyre were his two top priorities (Eyre resigned for one year at $2 million). The only thing that might be holding this deal up might the length of the deal. Moyer will be 46 when spring training opens and has stated he wants to pitch until he’s 50. Whether he has four more years in the tank is debatable, but there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t be a strong pitcher for the next two seasons. His 16 wins and 3.57 ERA were his best since 2003 (21-7, 3.27 for the Mariners).  If he had some run support, there’s no reason why he couldn’t have won 20 games last season (he only won 5 games during a 14-game streak where he allowed 3 runs or less). Aside from what Moyer is able to do on the mound, the knowledge he passes off to Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick, & J.A. Happ is invaluable. The young Phillies pitchers soak up the information that Moyer passes along only making them better. Moyer not returning would be a big blow to the Phillies pitching staff. In saying that, I think there’s still a good shot Moyer returns, and wouldn’t be surprised if he’s signed a contract for two-years and $16 million by the end of the weekend.

Both players are Type-A free agents, meaning should they sign with another club, the Phillies would most likely receive a supplemental first round pick along with a second round pick (this depends on the record of the team that signs the player). While draft picks are nice, seeing them both in red pinstripes next season and beyond would be nicer.  Both were cogs in the World Series run, and will not be easily replaced.