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The problem with Gillick wasn't that he signed vets and disregarded picks, it was that he didn't even consider the picks as part of the equation.  In the 2002 offseason he picked up Type A free agent Greg Colbrunn to use him as a bench bat, giving up the #17 pick in the process.  In a move with absolutely no upside, Gillick gave up a pick that turned into Conor Jackson, who had a career OPS of .810 through his age-26 season (he lost 2009 to injury).
Type A shouldn't push you away from a good free agent signing.  It should, however, make you shy away from guys like Octavio Dotel, Bengie Molina, and yes, Marco Scutaro.
In Scutaro's case, I'm more concerned by the fact that he's a 34 year old coming off a career year that's way out of pace with any skills he's ever flashed in the past.  There are 3 major ways a Scutaro signing could be a complete bust: 1) sometime between the ages of 34-36 (assuming it'd take multiple years to land him), he declines past the point of usefulness.  2) 2009 was a fluke, and he was never anything more than the ~.315 wOBA guy he's been the rest of his career, and 3) the Ms lose a draft pick that goes on to be a useful regular for years at a bargain basement price (this could be despite a totally successful 3 years from Scutaro, OR it could combine with scenarios 1 and  2). 
In situations where the only drawback to a free agent signing is the draft pick you lose, I'm usually for making the signing.  It's either when A) there are multiple ways to get burned by the contract, or B) the player involved has a skill-set that's available in any number of guys who won't cost compensation that you start saying "he's not worth giving up the draft pick."  Scutaro, for me, is a category A guy.  Stay away.