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Why can´t you trade draft picks??


Ofanslikepain

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Noticing it is a slow time for this board so I thought now would be a good time to ask this question. Does anyone know the thought behind not being able to trade draft picks in MLB?? In football the root of most trades if for draft picks yet in baseball I never hear of someone being traded for picks. Then I believe I heard someone say that you have to wait up to a year after being draft until the player can be used in a trade? If this is correct my question is why? What does it matter if we wanted to move Ramon Hernandez for a 2nd rounder and Huff a 3rd and Millar for 8th? I guess since we seem to be moving towards rebuilding I am noticing how much it would help to get draft picks in trades. Or if a trade is not balanced enough throwing in a pick to even it out. These are things that would really help a rebuilding franchise. If picks can be taken away for FA signings why not allow teams to trade them as well?

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Noticing it is a slow time for this board so I thought now would be a good time to ask this question. Does anyone know the thought behind not being able to trade draft picks in MLB?? In football the root of most trades if for draft picks yet in baseball I never hear of someone being traded for picks. Then I believe I heard someone say that you have to wait up to a year after being draft until the player can be used in a trade? If this is correct my question is why? What does it matter if we wanted to move Ramon Hernandez for a 2nd rounder and Huff a 3rd and Millar for 8th? I guess since we seem to be moving towards rebuilding I am noticing how much it would help to get draft picks in trades. Or if a trade is not balanced enough throwing in a pick to even it out. These are things that would really help a rebuilding franchise. If picks can be taken away for FA signings why not allow teams to trade them as well?

The only thing I can think of is because unlike football, baseball draft picks take so long to get to the majors. A football pick could be starting for your team the next season. Just thinking aloud though???

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It dosen't work because of free agency.

Say you trade a pick in a certain class.. Are you not allowed to sign a free-agent in that class because it would require you to lose that pick.

That would bar certain free agents from going to certain teams, this leads to less bids for certain players, limiting thier value. The PA wouldn't allow it.

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It dosen't work because of free agency.

Say you trade a pick in a certain class.. Are you not allowed to sign a free-agent in that class because it would require you to lose that pick.

That would bar certain free agents from going to certain teams, this leads to less bids for certain players, limiting thier value. The PA wouldn't allow it.

That's an interesting theory but in reality the rule prohibiting the trading of draft picks has been around for a whole lot longer than the compensatory picks have.

The rule disallowing the trading of draft picks (and recently drafted players) is intended to promote parity between the haves and the have nots by helping to ensure that incoming amateur talent is roughly evenly distributed throughout the league.

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It dosen't work because of free agency.

Say you trade a pick in a certain class.. Are you not allowed to sign a free-agent in that class because it would require you to lose that pick.

That would bar certain free agents from going to certain teams, this leads to less bids for certain players, limiting thier value. The PA wouldn't allow it.

Wow thank you that actually makes alot of sense. I was thinking it was going to be some silly reason or its just one of those things that nobody knows why its just done that way. But I could see the players that control so much in baseball controling even that. Wow. So a team can´t even mortgage their future trading picks because it would hurt the value of potential FA. Even if they found away around the baring of certain teams bidding on FA of a certain class I would still think they would stop it because if you could trade picks for players under contract it would create even less demand for FAs and less money for them. Again thank you that really explains it.

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That's an interesting theory but in reality the rule prohibiting the trading of draft picks has been around for a whole lot longer than the compensatory picks have.

The rule disallowing the trading of draft picks (and recently drafted players) is intended to promote parity between the haves and the have nots by helping to ensure that incoming amateur talent is roughly evenly distributed throughout the league.

But wouldnt it help parity to allow the large market teams trade away their picks to teams that will only be able to compete with home grown players. Such as a Royals or Marlins that will never be able to sign the huge FA out there and instead of just trading their valuable players for prospects they could also get draft picks out of it? But I see your point it has been around longer which means that can not be the reason. Thanks for your imput. I see the concept behind it I just don´t agree cause I think it makes it harder for the same teams it is suppose to protect. If you are the the Royals who were faced with trading Beltran a few years back. IF that rule is not in places they could have demanded a 1st round pick to be included in the package.

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I think its a dumb rule. There would be more parity if say, the Yankees traded their top 5 draft picks or something for a superstar player. The trading team would get a higher yield of young talent to rebuild with (and a better % of some of them making it) while the Yankees wouldn't get the superstars AND draft great young talent to rebuild with at the same time as they do currently (this doesn't just apply to the Yanks but Red Sox, Angels, etc.)

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Trading picks would have no affect on the NYY draft without a hard slot. There is a good amount of comparable first/second round talent available after the fifth round.

The rule exists, as Dave said, to discourage teams from dealing their picks and, originally, for the most talent to be distributed to the worst teams. This purpose is somewhat negated when several draftees like Porcello and Arrietta holding out for certain bonuses.

I oppose a hard slot, but I believe teams should be capped with an amount of $ to go above slot after round 5 - around $1M. This would allow players who fell in the draft to still get some $, but would negate the spending advantage the BoSox and NYY utilize after round 5.

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Maybe it makes me a communist but I think the draft should be completely controled through fixed salaries and bonuses. The 1st pick makes x amount of dollars and so on. I know it helped the Os last year with Weiters but it is not helpful for parity to have talented players slip down in the draft to teams that can afford them. Also if you make it a fixed amount it stops the team from low balling their draft picks. Make cheap owners spend on picks and make players happy to get what MLB tells them they can get for being one of the lucky few to get paid to play baseball. But I know I´m insane cause I would also add a salary cap. And I do not think this so rich owners can get richer I think this would make all teams competitive if they know how to draft and develop players. I also love the Franchise Tag the NFL uses and compensation for RFA. I know if you control how much the players make the owners get more money thats why I would also control ticket prices :) Open the books up. This is anti capitilism but it would make for a heck of league. A lot more competion and would make the smaller market cities really feel they have a chance. It would probably boost attendence in those cities and ratings in general. Ok ill stop dreaming now.

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I'd really like to see it happen. I don't know if MLB trading picks is even up for debate in the MLB, but it should happen.

They've started televising the draft which makes them appear to want to be more like football and basketball...taking this step to being able to trade picks would be the next logical leap for MLB to take.

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That's an interesting theory but in reality the rule prohibiting the trading of draft picks has been around for a whole lot longer than the compensatory picks have.

The rule disallowing the trading of draft picks (and recently drafted players) is intended to promote parity between the haves and the have nots by helping to ensure that incoming amateur talent is roughly evenly distributed throughout the league.

Well their intentions are worthless because in some cases (Jered Weaver) a player will fall because they are represented by an agent who will settle for no less than X amount of dollars.

I've said for a long long time that one thing MLB could do in the next CBA is to place a hard, reasonable cap on rookie contracts.

The PA may not like it, but it's much more fathomable than an actual salary cap (which would, of course, be the most ideal).

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Not trading draft picks is so silly and actually hurts low market teams. They need to allow trading of draft picks and slotting, with the service rules and arbitration years low market teams can compete. Also, trading draft picks would lead to more trades and more interest in the sport.

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Not trading draft picks is so silly and actually hurts low market teams.

This is not true. Agents would hold out for even more $ and tell the small market teams to trade the picks if they can not afford to pay the $.

I know there is no easy solution to this, but I do think some education of some of these small market owners is necessary. It has been shown time and again that these first round picks represent tremendous value, on average - just look at the seasons of the first and second year players this season from Markakis to Verlander to Tulowitzski to Hanley Ramirez and many others.

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This is not true. Agents would hold out for even more $ and tell the small market teams to trade the picks if they can not afford to pay the $.

I know there is no easy solution to this, but I do think some education of some of these small market owners is necessary. It has been shown time and again that these first round picks represent tremendous value, on average - just look at the seasons of the first and second year players this season from Markakis to Verlander to Tulowitzski to Hanley Ramirez and many others.

Even if this did happen(and i don't think it would), a team may be better off trading their first rounder for several picks later in the draft.

A "points system" could exist for the ML draft, just like in football.

It gives options to teams if they don't want to spend the top dollar...Right now, all they can do is draft that player, try to get him signed for less and watch him go back to school or they could draft a Matt Bush and really reach.

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Well their intentions are worthless because in some cases (Jered Weaver) a player will fall because they are represented by an agent who will settle for no less than X amount of dollars.

I've said for a long long time that one thing MLB could do in the next CBA is to place a hard, reasonable cap on rookie contracts.

The PA may not like it, but it's much more fathomable than an actual salary cap (which would, of course, be the most ideal).

Your point is well taken, but absent the hard slotting, allowing draft picks to be traded just makes the situation even worse.

Imagine the Angels trade their first round pick for, say, Jason Bay. Then they simply wait until the second round to take Jered Weaver. Now, instead of having just Weaver, they've got Weaver and Bay.

Meanwhile the Pirates become even less able to take a guy with big salary demands like Weaver, because now they've got not one, but two first rounders to get signed, driving down the amount they can afford to pay each one. Obviously less $$$ = less talent... it's an exchange of quality for quantity.

And just like that, the divide between the haves and the have nots has grown even wider by permitting the trading of picks.

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