Hard Slotting Is Bad for the Yankees
by Frank Campagnola on Nov 10, 2011 1:01 PM EST
in New York Yankees Analysis
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PrintThe new Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the MLB Players Association and Major League Baseball are not expected to effect the 2012 season, but the issue of instituting a hard-slotting for the June Amateur Draft has reached the forefront of discussions, according to Jim Breen of Fangraphs.
According to Breen, "The players view hard-slotting as the beginning of a salary cap in baseball, as it begins to limit how much teams are able to spend on amateur baseball players."
Breen's example of the Dodgers' signing of Zach Lee is a perfect example of why a hard-slot is bad for the Yankees. Lee was committed to LSU to play football, and after being drafted 28th overall, the recommended bonus was $1.134MM. The Dodgers offered him $5MM, he signed, and baseball took one of the best amateur prospects away from football.
That scenario would not be possible with a hard-slot. Lee accepted life-changing money and received nearly $4MM over slot, a significant overpay.
With the current system, teams avoid some of the players with two-sport commitments, or some of those players who will command a higher bonus. With the Yankees selecting at the end of the draft nearly every season, their only chance to add high-end talent through the amateur draft is to hope teams pass on high-end talent in order to select more signable players.
After teams select the more signable players, the Yankees have chances to select guys like Andrew Brackman or Gerrit Cole. There are obviously risks, but the Yankees' best chance to add elite talent in the draft is to hope for players falling due to signability or bonus demands.
Eliminating the bonus demands by instituting a hard hap would severely limit the Yankees' ability to add elite talent through the draft. It may help worse teams add better talent, and keep amateur bonuses lower, but the hard cap will significantly impact the elite teams' chances of adding significant talent through the June Amateur Draft.
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to play devil's advocate for a sec here
29 other teams, well maybe not the other elite top few teams, but at least 25 other teams and its fans im sure are just fine with a system that punishes the big bad yankees, red sox, and phillies…
It’s also bad for baseball in that without the soft-slot, other teams might not be able to overpay for a guy like Zach Lee. Adding exciting young players is good for the sport, and with a hard cap, Lee would have gone to LSU instead of rookie ball.
Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48
by Frank Campagnola on Nov 10, 2011 1:22 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I don't see how this helps other teams
They’ll still be scared off of the guys who are a risk to not sign, since they could not pay over slot. It just means the Yankees would also be scared off of such guys, since they’d be able to offer even less than the higher-drafting teams. It hurts the Yankees without helping anyone else. Great move, MLB.
It is about the only way small-market teams can compete
And they’re not scared off from guys who are hard to sign. See Bell, Josh. And anyway, the Yankees could have signed Bell if they wanted, seeing as how they (and every other team except the Tigers I think) passed on him.
The Yankees have the option to spend a lot in the draft
They just choose not to. Its kind of impossible to “hurt” the Yankees anyway.
You’re a big proponent of building through the system, so that’s very surprising.
Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48
by Frank Campagnola on Nov 10, 2011 1:23 PM EST up reply actions
It will help other teams, too, potentially helping them become more competitive. That’s a good thing, to me. Also, I’m not sure how much this will really affect a player’s decision whether to sign or go to college, play football, etc. I acknowledge they exist, but those are rare and extreme examples, no?
Romine!
It can also hurt them, just like I pointed out in my response to GriffMan. Losing the ability to go over slot could make a bunch of teams lose out on their draft picks.
What about the Nationals and Bryce Harper? Strasburg? Any junior in college who still has a year left of eligibility? All high school players?
The team is going to have to make a fair, competitive offer in order to sign them or they’ll lose them and they’ll go back to school or move on to college instead of going to pro ball.
Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48
by Frank Campagnola on Nov 10, 2011 1:33 PM EST up reply actions
Yes, I see your point. Realistically, it goes against everything, economically, this country stands for. When you think about it, why should any team, or business, not be allowed to pay what they want to pay someone with their own money? Kinda makes no sense.
Romine!
And relating it to the Yankees, if teams can’t go over slot, they have no reason to avoid the high end talent. They can’t demand salaries because where they get picked determiens their money.
And if they want to play pro ball, they’ll have to sign for what slot says.
Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48
by Frank Campagnola on Nov 10, 2011 1:40 PM EST up reply actions
Forgot to add this.
Then, the Yankees can’t add the high-end talent that gets avoided due to bonus demands
Contributing writer for Pinstripe Alley.
Follow me on Twitter @frankiecamp48
by Frank Campagnola on Nov 10, 2011 1:41 PM EST up reply actions
if slotting is about bonuses only
can’t you sign them using the slot bonus but sweeten the deal by offering a larger contract, ie more years, higher annual salary, etc.?
Another example of a two-sport star opting to play baseball is Austin Jackson
Austin Jackson had a scholarship to play Point Guard at Georgia Tech but the yankees lured him away with a $800,000 signing bonus. Hard-slotting would help keep baseball more competitive but would also make acquiring high-end talent two-sport stars harder which would thus reduce the overall talent level of MLB because people like Zach Lee and Austin Jackson would opt to play the other sport they are good at rather than play baseball
Romine Sucks , Jesus is better end of story
Agree with half your statement
It would be harder to lure two-sport teams, but it doesn’t make baseball more competitive. In fact, its the opposite. Just about all of the bigger spenders in the draft are small-market teams. Its virtually the only way they can compete on a level playing field since they can’t in Free Agency.
I think baseball would not see a lot of high-end talent come into their league.
Many baseball players play football and basketball while they have the talent to play baseball. Without the hard slotting system, teams have the ability to sign high-end talent away from other sports. I think hard-slotting system would prohibitive in this regard.
It would help if they allowed trades
If they go to hard slotting, then they need to allow the trading of draft picks. That way, instead of passing on top talent, they can trade that pick to a team that is willing to pay that price. The trading team could end up with prospects and/or a pick later in the round, and that player selected might still be of the same caliber of the “signable” player that they were going to settle on anyway.
I would think they'd HAVE to do this
I can’t see the Players Association ever agreeing to hard slotting without this. It works in the NFL, so it could work in MLB. This way if a team with a top pick wanted to trade for several picks, they could.
I'm disgusted by the lack of making "hard-slotting" seem sexual in the article
Disgusted!
"WHO WOULD LEAD?! THE CLOWN?!"
by I'mGivingYouARaise on Nov 10, 2011 3:17 PM EST reply actions
damn it! waited too long
#Pirates were 1 team #Yankees talked to about trading extra C such as Cervelli, so signing of Barajas likely takes Pitt out of that market
i call false
Ruben Amaro Jr. says rumors an agreement was in place on Ryan Madson are “unequivocally false.” More in Rumor Central
The libertarian
in me doesn’t like this. Who is Bud Selig to limit how much money a player can get? College seniors pretty much lose all bargaining power. Yet I think Bud would have a pretty big problem if someone tried to cap his salary.
Plus I don’t like that this will de-incentivize going into pro baseball. In addition to the guys already mentioned above, there’s Dave Winfield, Jackie Robinson, Kenny Lofton and Chris Young, just to name a few. With hard slotting, perhaps none of them ever play pro-ball.
it might be bad for the yanks
But I love slotting when hard
Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows
by Rorschach44 on Nov 10, 2011 8:12 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I've been working and sleeping for the past week
Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows
by Rorschach44 on Nov 10, 2011 10:05 PM EST up reply actions
It's better for baseball
But then again since when is Bud Selig concerned about what’s best for baseball?
DWTDD
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