Good News For The Yankees: Hard-Slotting System Facing Resistance In CBA Negotiations

By On October 21, 2011 · 3 Comments · In Hot Stove

From MLB Trade Rumors Yesterday:

Commissioner Bud Selig discussed several topics in an interview with Chris Russo of SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio today before Game 2 of the World Series.  Here are some of the highlights:

  • The issue of a hard slotting system for the draft is “really critical” for Selig.  Buster Olney reported yesterday that Selig was unlikely to “dig in and fight” for slotting since doing so would prolong the labor negotiations.

This is very good news for the Yankees. Selig had made no secret for some time now that one of his top priorities for the new CBA would be to replace the current slot recommendations system (which has been holding costs down, although not completely) to a hard-slotting system, where there would be a prescribed signing bonus for each slot, and the player/team can either take it or leave it. It would hurt the Yankees considerably, since their draft strategy evolves around paying players in the late rounds the big bucks that other teams aren’t willing to pay. The Yankees would be forced to accept the quality that comes with drafting at the bottom of every round, which could eventually hurt their ability to contend every year.

I don’t think that I was alone in expecting the MLBPA to be willing to give up hard slotting, which only helps future union members, not current ones, in favor of forcing some other kind of concession from Selig. But it looks like the players are standing firm for their future members.

One other quick thought: any hard-slotting system really should be accompanied by the ability to trade draft picks. That way, teams like the Yankees would still have access to top talent, but at a market price.

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3 Responses to Good News For The Yankees: Hard-Slotting System Facing Resistance In CBA Negotiations

  1. Matt Imbrogno says:
    October 21, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    Larry and I briefly discussed this via G-Chat earlier, and this seems like an appropriate forum to expand the discussion. When MLB does allow the trading of draft picks, what do you think their value will be? Larry and I both agreed that they would quickly be overvalued. I wonder, then, if that’s the case, how long the correction would take.

    Reply
  2. Aaron says:
    October 21, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    I don’t know… I think the total cost will be higher than that of Dice-k… Darvish is Younger than Matsuzaka was when he signed, and Darvish has had better production (innings and work… not nec strikeouts and wins) overall, which translates to MLB style of pitching.

    I think people are underestimating Yu Darvish’s total cost. If you think the Nats or Sox or Cards or Brewers won;t post… you are mistaken.

    Look at the FA class of pitchers over the next 3 yrs…. few if any pitchers available. If you don’t produce in house, then you HAVE to go International.

    I think total cost (min) will be 100-110MM, and depending on length of contract, could reach 130MM.

    All the best,
    Aaron

    Reply
  3. Amol says:
    October 22, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    Not just good for the Yankees, but good for baseball in general, since a hard slotting system would drive many of the best young athletes away from baseball and into football and basketball.

    Reply

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