This doesn't make sense. Kolb does not "have to" be non-tendered just so the Brewers can sign him to a lower contract. The Brewers can resign him before the 20th to a lower rate than his 2005 contract. If he is non-tendered, he is free to negotiate with any team, including the Brewers, but that puts Kolb in a better bargaining position. :roll: I thought a team could only offer X percent lower then the last contract? It's true if the case goes before an arbitrator. If you decline to tender him, he becomes a free agent. You can offer him league minimum at that point, but you'll have to worry about someone else outbidding you. It sounds like Kolb and the Brewers have a deal in place to non tender and re-sign Kolb to something favorable to the player and the team. You're correct. It's the same thing Barrett did when he was traded to us. He became a free agent for a day so we could sign him for a larger % less than we could have if he wasn't a free agent.