The free agent signing period opens today and Bill Baer, Joe Hamrahi, Michael Street, Matt Sisson and I have put our heads together to rank the current field of free agents by position and put them together in a list below:

BASEBALL DIGEST DAILY’S FREE AGENT RANKINGS (BY POSITION)

Note: Some players added to the list were players who were waived and refused assignment or released and available on the open market but not found on most free agent trackers.

Type A = Club receives two draft picks if club offers and player declines arbitration and signs elsewhere
Type B = Club receives one draft pick if club offers and player declines arbitration and signs elsewhere

CATCHERS (16)

Top 3

1. Jason Varitek = Type A
Varitek had his worst year as a Major Leaguer in ‘08 and has never played outside of Boston in his 12-year career.  Some suspect his agent Scott Boras is playing hardball with the Red Sox in an effort to get a long-term deal but he’s more likely to re-sign in Boston than not.

2. Ivan Rodriguez = Type B
Before the ‘09 season begins, “Pudge” turns 37.  The 18-year vet has already played with four different franchises.  The former MVP and 13-time Gold Glove winner is probably better suited these days for a part-time role on a team with a young catcher who needs a mentor.  Washington would be the best fit for that but another club might take a flyer on I-Rod to be the everyday backstop.

3. Gregg Zaun = Type B
It looks like Zaun’s time in Canada may be coming to a close.  In his 14-year career, the Blue Jays were the team where he spent the most time — five years — and he’s already played for seven different teams.  Zaun might return to Toronto as the back-up but more money elsewhere could send him to a new team or an “old” new team.

The Rest

4. David Ross
5. Michael Barrett
6. Javier Valentin
7. Henry Blanco
8. Paul Lo Duca = Type B
9. Paul Bako
10. Toby Hall
11. Sal Fasano 
12. Brad Ausmus 
13. Vance Wilson 
14. Chad Moeller
15. Gary Bennett
16. Adam Melhuse

FIRST BASEMEN (9)

Top 3

1. Mark Teixeira = Type A
One of the marquee names on the open market.  Expect a big payday for Teixeira who will find interest from the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels.  Two other teams with outside shots — Baltimore and Washington — would score major P.R. points if they could land the Maryland native.  They’d also get a perennial .300-30-100 guy, too.  The unanimous choice for best in class at first base… no surpises here.

2. Jason Giambi
The 14-year vet has spent half of his career in Oakland and half of his career with the Yankees.  It is possible he returns to either although a return to the Bronx at this point would be unexpected.  Many speculate that Oakland is the destination for Giambi but their addition of Matt Holliday via trade might block such a signing salary-wise.

3. Kevin Millar
Millar saw declines in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage for the third consecutive year.  The Orioles are planning to make a splash in the free agent market and that might include parting ways with Millar.

The Rest

4. Tony Clark
5. Rich Aurilia 
6. Sean Casey 
7. Mark Sweeney 
8. Miguel Cairo
9. Aaron Boone
Not Rated - Richie Sexson, Ben Broussard

SECOND BASEMEN (11)

Top 3

1. Orlando Hudson = Type A
Hudson’s name continues to be tied to the White Sox who plan on moving Alexei Ramirez to shortstop.  There was a defensive drop-off but he posted an .825 OPS.  Even with the drop-off, Hudson is still a solid defensive player at second.

2. Jeff Kent = Type B
Kent’s age — 41 at the start of the ‘09 season — makes him a possible DH candidate and he might even retire.  He still scored high on the board but there was a definite offensive drop-off from Kent last year in L.A.

3. Mark Loretta = Type B
His offensive production has remained steady over the last four years so if a .280 average and a .700 to .730 OPS sounds good, someone will scoop him up.  Probably a platoon player these days but someone might see otherwise.

The Rest

4. Ray Durham
5. Felipe Lopez
6. Mark Grudzielanek
7. Juan Uribe = Type B
8. Damion Easley
9. Pablo Ozuna
10. Pete Orr
11. Ramon Martinez
Not Rated - Marcus Giles

THIRD BASEMEN (7)

Top 3

1. Casey Blake = Type B
Helped the Dodgers as a deadline acquisition but not as much as the other trade deadline addition in Los Angeles.  Blake should be in line for a decent multi-year deal and he might end up back in Cleveland.

2. Joe Crede
Crede is a Gold Glover when he’s healthy but that isn’t often.  At 30, there’s still some potential here but they’ll have to deal with the possibility of Crede missing time due to injury.  The Dodgers could replace Nomar Garciaparra in both production and injury by grabbing Crede.

3. Russell Branyan
Branyan has been around the block.  A nice corner infielder/outfielder with some pop, Branyan struggles to hit for average and has never proven the ability to contribute as an everyday player.

The Rest

4. Ramon Vazquez
5. Mike Lamb
6. Doug Mientkiewicz

SHORTSTOPS (16)

Top 3

1. Rafael Furcal
The nearly unanimous choice as the top shortstop on the market, Furcal needs to bounce back from a nagging back injury that cost him most of his ‘08 season.  The position isn’t deep and a number of teams are in need of a shortstop so Furcal should be well compensated for his attempt to return from the back injury that sidelined him for nearly all of ‘08.

2. Orlando Cabrera = Type A
With the White Sox moving Alexei Ramirez to short, Cabrera is probably out in Chicago.  A Gold Glove defender should attract some interest but Orlando’s OPS has only been above average for one season.

3. Edgar Renteria = Type A
A near repeat performance of his season in Boston means Renteria might want to think about returning to the National League where he has thrived.  His old team — the St. Louis Cardinals — have an open shortstop spot… maybe he’ll end up there.

The Rest

4. Nomar Garciaparra
5. David Eckstein
6. Nick Punto
7. Omar Vizquel
8. Cesar Izturis
9. Jerry Hairston Jr.
10. Adam Everett
11. Craig Counsell 
12. Alex Cora
13. Alex Cintron
14. Chris Gomez
15. Luis Rivas
16. Juan Castro

LEFT FIELDERS (12)

Top 3

1. Manny Ramirez = Type A
Another Scott Boras production should make the Hot Stove interesting.  ManRam was offered big bucks from the Dodgers but only two years — a contract Boras later took a shot at when he said that his client would court “real offers” starting on Friday.  Expect Manny to break the bank no matter the length of the contract.

2. Adam Dunn = Type A
Power, strikeouts and walks.  Simple as that.

3. Pat Burrell = Type A
Burrell wants to stay in Philly to help the club defend their title.  At the end of the day, there might not be enough left in the bank for the Phillies to bring him back.  Pat the Bat fits better in the AL where he can play DH but it’s not a role Burrell is fond of.

The Rest

4. Raul Ibanez = Type A
5. Luis Gonzalez = Type B
6. Juan Rivera
7. Garret Anderson = Type B
8. Jay Payton
9. Moises Alou = Type B
10. Daryle Ward
11. Greg Norton
12. So Taguchi
Not Ranked - Kevin Mench

CENTER FIELDERS (5)

Top 3

1. Mark Kotsay
The #1 on this list shows just how shallow the talent pool at center is. 

2. Jim Edmonds
He’s 38 so he won’t get a long-term investment especially after his awful first half in San Diego last year.  The recovery with the Cubs will get Edmonds a deal as a stop-gap for a year somewhere.

3. Scott Podsednik
Is he even a Major Leaguer anymore?

The Rest

4. Willie Bloomquist
5. Corey Patterson

RIGHT FIELDERS (10)

Top 3

1. Bobby Abreu = Type A
Abreu is on the free agent market after the Yankees declined his $16-million option.  He might not be worth $16 million but he does fill up a stat sheet.  The Yankees would take him back for less but the only sure thing in right raises Abreu’s overall value.

2. Ken Griffey Jr. = Type B
Everyone expects Griffey to end up in Seattle but no one expected to see Junior in a White Sox uniform.  He still has some pop — Griffey is in the 600-home run club — but his range in the field is slipping.

3. Rocco Baldelli
The biggest concern with Baldelli is his health.  The mitochondrial disorder that causes chronic fatigue may limit his playing time but he’s still one heck of a hitter.

The Rest

4. Eric Hinske
5. Brad Wilkerson
6. Gabe Kapler
7. Emil Brown
8. Jason Michaels
9. Juan Encarnacion
10. Trot NixonDESIGNATED HITTERS (3)

Top DH

1. Milton Bradley
Bradley’s mental state was better than usual in ‘08 — he only had one emotional meltdown — but his physical state was a concern.  When he was able to play, Bradley was an offensive machine.  In 126 games, Bradley posted a .999 OPS to go with 22 homers and 77 RBI.

The Rest

2. Frank Thomas = Type B
3. Cliff Floyd

STARTING PITCHERS (33)

Top 3

1. CC Sabathia = Type A
While the BDD rankers didn’t agree on much, they did agree on one thing — CC Sabathia is the top pitcher on the market.  Milwaukee and the Yankees could end up in a bidding war.  Tough to pick against the Yankees in that situation.  Maybe the winner of the Sabathia sweepstakes can learn to manage his innings so he’s useful should they make the postseason.

2. AJ Burnett = Type A
The Orioles are expected to make a run at Burnett.  If they do, he’d easily be the ace of the staff and likely to be the ace in many possible scenarios.

3. Ben Sheets = Type A
A big haul IF he can stay healthy.

The Rest

4. Ryan Dempster = Type A
5. Derek Lowe = Type A
6. Andy Pettitte
7. John Smoltz = Type B
8. Mike Musina = Type A
9. Oliver Perez = Type A
10. Brad Penny = Type B
11. Jamie Moyer = Type B
12. Randy Johnson
13. Jon Garland = Type B
14. Pedro Martinez
15. Braden Looper
16. Randy Wolf
17. Greg Maddux
18. Paul Byrd
19. Odalis Perez
20. Freddy Garcia
21. Curt Schilling
22. Tom Glavine
23. Kenny Rogers
24. Mark Prior
25. Orladno Hernandez
26. Mike Hampton
27. Livan Hernandez
28. Bartolot Colon
29. Josh Fogg
30. Carl Pavano
31. Mark Hendrickson
32. Jason Jennings
33. Mark Mulder
34. Sidney Ponson

CLOSERS (8)

1. Francisco Rodriguez = Type A
2. Brian Fuentes = Type A
3. Kerry Wood = Type A
4. Trevor Hoffman = Type A
5. Chad Cordero
6. Brandon Lyon
7. Jason Isringhausen = Type B
8. Eric Gagne = Type B

SET-UP MEN (10)

1. Alan Embree = Type B
2. David Weathers = Type B
3. Eddie Guardado
4. Arthur Rhodes
5. Doug Brocail
6. Kyle Farnsworth
7. Tom Gordon
8. Luis Ayala = Type B
9. Keith Foulke
10. Jamey Wright

LEFT-HANDED RELIEVERS (13)

1. Jeremy Affeldt = Type B
2. Joe Beimel = Type B
3. Willie Ohman
4. Darren Oliver = Type A
5. Brian Shouse = Type B
6. Trever Miller
7. Dennys Reyes = Type B
8. Ricardo Rincon
9. Ron Villone
10. John Parrish
11. Casey Fossum
12. Kent Mercker
13. Casey Fossum

UTILITY RELIEVERS (19)

1. Bob Howry = Type A
2. Juan Cruz = Type A
3. Russ Springer
4. Matt Herges
5. Rudy Seanez
6. Guillermo Mota
7. Jorge Julio
8. Mike Timin
9. Mike Lincoln
10. Juan Rincon
11. Brendan Donnelly
12. Julian Taveras
13. Jason Johnson
14. Matt Wise
15. Ryan Wagner
16. Scott Elarton
17. Tony Armas
18. Elmer Dessens
19. Chad Fox

LONG RELIEVERS

1. Jon Lieber
2. Chan Ho Park
3. Glendon Rusch
4. Kip Wells