MLB Draft - new limits per Nightengale

[Kinsm]

If we are still accounting for signing bonuses, AND they get $25,000 salary, I have a lot less of an issue about things. While there are certainly guys who aren't getting much of a signing bonus, I do think that $25,000 should be a minimum starting point. It's enough to get by on, especially when for 5 months at least half of your meals are paid for by someone else while you are playing baseball. I have no issue rounding up, though. Let's do the quick math on 140 players - make it $30,000 a year. That's not even an additional $3,000,000 a year to cover that versus what they'll be paid in 2021.

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[dougdirt]

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$30,000 a year for 140 players is not even an additional $3,000,000 per year for each team versus what they will be paying those same 140 players in 2021 to play minor league baseball in terms of salary.

[mth123]

$30,000 a year for 140 players is not even an additional $3,000,000 per year for each team versus what they will be paying those same 140 players in 2021 to play minor league baseball in terms of salary.

Here is the thing. For any business, $3,000,000 in straight cost is a lot of money. This isn't money being invested in players who will provide a future return they want to cut out, it's the players who are necessary, but non-value added, cost just so they can play all these minor league games. $3,000,000 for a big league player or a highly valued minor leaguer, while not always a smart investment, isn't much for the chance at a future return for the big league team. $3 Million for filler is like flushing it down the toilet

I don't want to see all these teams disappear either, but the logic behind it makes perfect sense. If a large percentage of those players making peanuts aren't worth more, cut those teams out and let them get on with their lives. The ones still left should get paid decent money though.

[Kinsm]

30K x 140 = 4.2M$....what am I misreading here?

[mth123]

30K x 140 = 4.2M$....what am I misreading here?

Its not incremental. They already are making something.

[dougdirt]

30K x 140 = 4.2M$....what am I misreading here?

The nearly $1.4M that those players will be making in 2021 with the new salary structure.

[dougdirt]

Here is the thing. For any business, $3,000,000 in straight cost is a lot of money. This isn't money being invested in players who will provide a future return they want to cut out, it's the players who are necessary, but non-value added, cost just so they can play all these minor league games. $3,000,000 for a big league player or a highly valued minor leaguer, while not always a smart investment, isn't much for the chance at a future return for the big league team. $3 Million for filler is like flushing it down the toilet

I don't want to see all these teams disappear either, but the logic behind it makes perfect sense. If a large percentage of those players making peanuts aren't worth more, cut those teams out and let them get on with their lives. The ones still left should get paid decent money though.

If one non-prospect turns into a solid contributor for three seasons it saves a team like $15M in what they'd pay some free agent to do the same job. And the prospects can't play and develop without a lot of the "non prospects" on the field with them, either.

[mth123]

If one non-prospect turns into a solid contributor for three seasons it saves a team like $15M in what they'd pay some free agent to do the same job. And the prospects can't play and develop without a lot of the "non prospects" on the field with them, either.

They can play against other prospects with fewer teams and the non-prospects cut loose. Each organization could field 3 teams with about 90 total players and cut the bottom 50 guys loose. Chances of a non-prospect developing are really small and even with 90 payers there is plenty of room for a Tim Adelman to rise up from independent ball. The only reason all those guys are necessary is because of all the teams. Once upon a time, there was marketing value to having those teams all over the place. Now, most kids (and other fans) that actually like Baseball would rather watch big leaguers on TV or on-line than go to the minor league game to watch a bunch of no names. The marketing value of the local team has diminished a lot with technology.

[Kinsm]

The nearly $1.4M that those players will be making in 2021 with the new salary structure.

I understand your math now, but why are we going with 140? Every summer, once draft signees are under contract, the Reds are always running up against their player limit of 315. Granted, 40+ have union controlled salaries.

[dougdirt]

I understand your math now, but why are we going with 140? Every summer, once draft signees are under contract, the Reds are always running up against their player limit of 315. Granted, 40+ have union controlled salaries.

Well, they're about to lose about 80 spots right off the bat because Greeneville and Billings are gone. Then I went with 40 spots for the AZL, 30 each for the A-ball teams, and 20 each for the AA/AAA teams. I can't guess on how much they are paying guys that have reached free agency, and that's going to vary each year. But we can tell how much non-free agents make. That's the 140-ish guys I'm talking about.

[REDREAD]

No player is paid more than they are worth.

But no, I still don't like your proposed scenario because players are drastically underpaid right now even if we do include their bonuses. The players are worth far more than they are being paid in both the draft and international free agency, as well as their yearly salary after they sign. We know this because until the bonuses were restricted, guys got paid a lot better than they do now in bonus terms, and well, we also know that they don't get paid anything remotely close to a reasonable yearly salary.

Thanks for the response.
I can understand your point that the bonus slotting has artificially kept salaries lower and killed the player's leverage. I also agree that their salary is too low.

[TNRED]

The answer is simple. Just do like the NFL and NBA and use college as your minor league. As to Latin American players, take them straight to the majors. For depth possibly expand the rosters to 30 or even 35.

[Kinsm]

The answer is simple. Just do like the NFL and NBA and use college as your minor league. As to Latin American players, take them straight to the majors. For depth possibly expand the rosters to 30 or even 35.

The average major league debut age has been 25 (give or take a handful of days) every year for the past 2 decades. So that would work, if players were ready at age 21 or 22 after playing in college ball, but with rare exception they just aren't.

[Rijo's Ghost]

The answer is simple. Just do like the NFL and NBA and use college as your minor league. As to Latin American players, take them straight to the majors. For depth possibly expand the rosters to 30 or even 35.

8 players have gone straight from college to MLB in the last 40 years. Latin players are signed at 16 years old. The quality of play would be pitiful and it would truly turn small market teams into farm clubs for the large markets.

[757690]

Here is the thing. For any business, $3,000,000 in straight cost is a lot of money. This isn't money being invested in players who will provide a future return they want to cut out, it's the players who are necessary, but non-value added, cost just so they can play all these minor league games. $3,000,000 for a big league player or a highly valued minor leaguer, while not always a smart investment, isn't much for the chance at a future return for the big league team. $3 Million for filler is like flushing it down the toilet

I don't want to see all these teams disappear either, but the logic behind it makes perfect sense. If a large percentage of those players making peanuts aren't worth more, cut those teams out and let them get on with their lives. The ones still left should get paid decent money though.

Teams flush $3M down the toilet every year. That’s how much the Reds paid Jason Marquis and Kevin Gregg in 2015.

I’d rather they flush it towards people who could use it.