The MLB Draft Needs a Serious Overhaul
1-liner, Baseball August 20th. 2009, 2:30pmMLB Draft: There seems to be universal agreement – the draft system is broken and will definitely be fixed in 2011. “Only five starting pitchers on the entire free-agent market got packages bigger than that last winter: CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, Ryan Dempster and Oliver Perez … The Mariners showered a package on their top pick, Dustin Ackley, that can be worth between $7.5 million and $10 million. That’s more than Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson or Ken Griffey Jr. signed for last winter.” [Seattle Times, Jayson Stark]
17 Responses to “The MLB Draft Needs a Serious Overhaul”
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August 20th, 2009 at 2:33 PM
I can’t recall if it was here or somewhere else that I saw this the other day, but getting draft picks signed (even if they’re expensive) is well worth it, since they have somewhere in the neighborhood of a 60% rate of return. Now, this is purely conjecture, but I imagine free agent signings have a significantly lower rate of return.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:36 PM
do you think these guys really deserved it? you don’t pay people for what they’ve done in years past, unless it’s a bonus of course, but you certainly don’t give junior a 20 million per contract b/c he’s hit 600 home runs.
i don’t agree that all these kids in the draft are getting lots of money but they are being paid for their potential. if they reach their potential is another question and the risk of the team for making that investment.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:36 PM
If MLB wants to lower the amount of years a player is controlled after the draft fine. Otherwise I don’t want to hear the owner’s whine because their incredibly cheap source of labor has now come to within about a fourth of what the owner’s would be paying without a draft. Of those five pitching deals two are looking reasnable right now. The draft saves the owner’s from themselves.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Jayson Stark’s article was probably the dumbest one in his archives. He needs to grow back his mustache and perhaps he’ll better understand the draft process.
August 20th, 2009 at 2:57 PM
Wow you’re not kidding. I made it all the way to the second bullet point before I started laughing uncontrollably.
Pretty sure Smoltz proved he wasn’t worth it, Pedro’s a 5.2 innings per night guy, and isn’t health an issue for Johnson? This is a stupid position to take.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:00 PM
this is easy. ackley is white. next topic.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:03 PM
I agree with fixing the draft by instituting an NBA like slotting system. Can’t have the bad teams not taking the best players because they don’t know how much it will take to sign them or simply want to cheap out.
But the idea that the total packages are too high is idiotic. Best deal for the owners of all the major drafts.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:12 PM
still think they should allow draft pick trading
August 20th, 2009 at 3:34 PM
I don’t understand why this is a big deal in MLB, but not the NFL or NBA. Did anybody bitch about what Matt Stafford or Derek Rose got paid? I seem to remember that Jake Long’s rookie contract made him the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL, without even ever having taken a snap as a pro. WHere was the outrage?
As with steroids, baseball gets a disparate amount of flack on an issue, largely because of baseball writers.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:45 PM
It’s the free market. U pay for potential. Why would anyone want billionaires to make more money at expense of players?
August 20th, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Seriously? You don’t remember any outrage about the deals given to top NFL picks and how everyone was talking about guys coming out early because the new CBA will put a cap on rookie contracts?
Maybe I’m making all this up, but I know I’m not.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:58 PM
People bitch and moan (and rightfully so) about the NFL contracts given to top picks all the time. NBA actually has it right in this instance. Just give them slotted slaries. No more training camp holdouts or non-signees in baseball.
August 20th, 2009 at 4:04 PM
I don’t think non-signees are that big a problem to begin with. The kid the Nats drafted last year didn’t sign again this year. His chances of making the show are pretty slim at this point. The owners have all the leverage, and even if Strasburg’s deal is a record, I’d venture to guess it’s worth the risk. After all, we’re talking $15 million, not $41 million.
August 20th, 2009 at 4:07 PM
He gets until the day before the next draft to sign though.
August 20th, 2009 at 4:20 PM
It’s fucking stupid to give kids that kind of money who’ve proven nothing. That kind of money should go to veterans, who have shown they can produce.
/Barry Zito
//Jeff Suppan
///Oliver Perez
August 20th, 2009 at 4:25 PM
[sticks fingers in ears]
LALALALALALA I can’t hear you LALALALALALA
/TBL
August 20th, 2009 at 4:25 PM
That would only give agents like Scott Boras more power, and also hurt small-market teams. Agents would demand a trade if the team refuses to pay their asking price. Strasburg would have never signed with the Nats if trades were allowed. Him and Boras would be better-off forcing a trade to a big-market team (more bonus money, more marketing opportunities)