I feel that the Elias Sports Bureau's system of ranking players and assigning them a type is a broken system.  To be more precise, MLB's use of this system as a means of ascertaining compensation is a broken system.  It's not necessarily that they don't find the top players at a given position...I think for the most part they do that successfully.  One problem is there is not really an adjustment of value for a specific position.  Are middle relievers worth the same amount as dominant starting pitchers or even closers?  By virtue of the fact that they're middle relievers, there is a suggestion that they weren't good enough to start or close.  Under this system, a team that loses CC Sabathia is given the same compensation as a team that loses, say, Russ Springer (had he been offered and declined arbitration, of course).

The rankings seem to be both over and under inclusive.  Rafael Furcal, due to injury factors, was not even deemed to be a type B, despite being the most sought after infielder this side of Mark Teixiera.  Is a team hurt more by replacing Furcal or Springer?  I'm not saying that a middle reliever/set up guy should never be a type A - Carlos Marmol is too filthy for me to say that.  But it should be a rare occurrence.  As teams have come to value draft picks more, I feel that the system needs to be revised.  First, take it out of Elias' hands and come up with your own criteria for determining what players deserve compensation.  Second, make more stringent standards for handing out that ever so coveted type A classification.