Draft slotting system

[safoster]

Question for everyone in wake of the Wieters signing.

What in God's name is the point for this "this amount of money goes to this slot in the draft" system if nobody abides by it?

I mean seriously, this "rule" is an absolute joke.

[Baltimoron]

Question for everyone in wake of the Wieters signing.

What in God's name is the point for this "this amount of money goes to this slot in the draft" system if nobody abides by it?

I mean seriously, this "rule" is an absolute joke.

For one, it helps cheapskates save face. But such a rational is becoming less significant as the shared money pumps downward at a greater rate over this CBA.

[RayFink1e]

You want to see a disgrace. Look at how much money the Marlins get every year. Then look how much they spend.

[Baltimoron]

The whole point of the draft is to depress salaries by creating an artificial restraint on a U.S./Canadian player's right to freely negotiate his first professional contract with multiple MLB organizations.

Boras would rape teams if he had multiple suitors for Wieters, for example.

[safoster]

The whole point of the draft is to depress salaries by creating an artificial restraint on a U.S./Canadian player's right to freely negotiate his first professional contract with multiple MLB organizations.

Boras would rape teams if he had multiple suitors for Wieters, for example.

Isn't one point of the draft to let the teams that finished poorly in the previous season have first access to the "best" players that are coming out of HS and college? It may not have the impact as the NBA or NFL draft, as those rookies have almost immediate impact, but you see what I'm saying.

Also, yes, the draft does completely change the dynamic of negotiating between teams for rookie salaries like free agency. I'm just saying the whole slotting system as far as the draft goes seems completely useless.

[Baltimoron]

Isn't one point of the draft to let the teams that finished poorly in the previous season have first access to the "best" players that are coming out of HS and college? It may not have the impact as the NBA or NFL draft, as those rookies have almost immediate impact, but you see what I'm saying.

Also, yes, the draft does completely change the dynamic of negotiating between teams for rookie salaries like free agency. I'm just saying the whole slotting system as far as the draft goes seems completely useless.

And I'm just saying that the primary purpose of the draft is to depress salaries. Given this goal, the slotting guidelines are not "completely useless" if they in fact have any impact whatsoever. Obviously, the people in MLB think they do have at least some impact. How sharp they be in their thinking is another matter, but I can see how these guidelines could work to contribute to reduced salaries.

[Brando]

MLB has got to exert some pressure on the NCAA to not allow kids to enter the draft with an agent and then go to school.

Then a truley effective slotting system could be enacted.

Baseball is not a high revenue sport with the NCAA so they allow the current system to exist.

If going to school is not a viable option then the independent leagues are the only viable option left for players that don't sign.

The nice thing about baseball is that it allows for kids to develop and see if their career will pan out and make a decent living in the mean time. You could argue that baseball players would be in a much better position to afford an education if chasing their dream doesn't work out. Also there would incentive to not enter the draft if they truly want an education.

[Birds08]

The entire system is absurd. Every player that want's to enter a professional organization should have to enter the draft, whether they are from Japan, Cuba, DR, Canada or the US, just like in the NBA and NHL.

Additionally, rookie contracts, at least for first rounders, should be designated each year - negotiation should not be a part of it. Each pick should have a slightly lower contract.

It is ridiculous that the team with the top pick can't always draft the top player simply because they can't afford to meet absurd contract demands. Certainly helps the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.

[billyc123]

MLB has got to exert some pressure on the NCAA to not allow kids to enter the draft with an agent and then go to school.

Then a truley effective slotting system could be enacted. Baseball is not a high revenue sport with the NCAA so they allow the current system to exist. If going to school is not a viable option then the independent leagues are the only viable option left for players that don't sign.

For the record, these players aren't signing with an agent. Boras was an "adviser" to these kids up until the moment they signed their contracts. If they didn't sign, he wasn't going to get paid (which brings up a whole bunch of other problems -- all the players he was "advising" signed, didn't they?). As for the NCAA, I can't see them changing this system for the benefit of MLB or the kids who play baseball in college. I also don't see MLB exerting much pressure on the NCAA to change the way it operates.

The nice thing about baseball is that it allows for kids to develop and see if their career will pan out and make a decent living in the mean time. You could argue that baseball players would be in a much better position to afford an education if chasing their dream doesn't work out. Also there would incentive to not enter the draft if they truly want an education.

I agree with you about baseball's structure.