Curious Compensation

Baseball America has posted the Free Agent Compensation List for this offseason. Here's the list of Mets free agents and what compensation the Mets will get for them:

Type A: Richard Hidalgo, Al Leiter

Type B: Mike DeJean

Type C: Kris Benson, Ricky Bottalico

The Elias Sports Bureau complies rankings of all major leaguers by position, based on their performance over the past two seasons. If teams offer arbitration to a free agent but lose him to another club, they'll receive compensation if he's classified as a Type A (top 30 percent at his position), Type B (31-50 percent) or Type C (51-60 percent) player.

For a Type A player, the compensation is the signing team's first-round pick plus a supplemental first-rounder. For a Type B, it's the signing team's first-round choice. For a Type C, it's a supplemental second-rounder. However, if the signing team picks in the upper half of the first round, that choice is protected and it loses its second-round selection instead. Also, Type C players who have been free agents in the past don't yield any compensation.

I was surprised that they still get compensation for Richard Hidalgo despite the fact we declined his option. I was also surprised that Kris Benson is a Type C free agent but this is because he was injured the previous season and the rankings take into consideration the previous two years.

Given this info, an observation and a question spring to mind. First off, it's imperative now that we resign Benson since we'll only get a pick at the end of the second round for him. The question, though, is this: Who do you offer arbitration to so that we'll get compensated if he signs with another team?

Personally, I'd give it to Hidalgo and DeJean. If either of them accept they'll both still be useful to have if we get stuck with them. Bottalico I'd let walk.

What do you think? Arbitration or no?