NEW YORK ? A mob of hundreds assembled outside Sandy Alderson?s hotel in Santo Domingo. This was April 2010, when Major League Baseball dispatched Alderson to sheriff troubles in the Dominican Republic. The group of agents and prospects issued a three-word plea to baseball officials looking to alter their free-agent system.
?No al draft,? they shouted upward toward the future general manager of the Mets. ?No to the draft.?
It appears the protesters? nightmare may soon become a reality.
As part of the new collective bargaining agreement, Major League Baseball took significant steps toward establishing a worldwide draft, while in the process attempting to curb spending in the Rule 4 draft and on the international market. Both changes reflect the willpower of commissioner Bud Selig and his long-standing wish for ?competitive balance.?
The new system could limit those clubs, such as the Mets, looking to rebuild through aggressive spending over-slot in the draft each June. Each club will instead receive an assigned amount that it can spend based on draft slots. If the club exceeds that amount, they will be penalized. Teams can lose cash and future picks by ignoring the imposed restrictions.
In addition, clubs with low revenue and clubs in smaller markets will be entered into a draft for compensatory first-round picks.
Paul DePodesta, the Mets? vice president for scouting and player development, was diplomatic when asked about the changes. ?Way too much to digest at this moment, ?DePodesta said via e-mail. ?But it will still come down to picking the right players.?
The prospect of an international draft is more complex.
Inside the new CBA there are guidelines for a signing bonus pool for the international market. If clubs exceed that pool, they will be penalized, with the penalties increasing by 2014 if a draft has not yet been established.
Rob Manfred, the lead negotiator for the commissioner?s office, called this process ?like a poison pill to motivate people to get to a draft. We feel like we?re either going to get to a draft in year three, like we?ve always wanted, or we?re going to have an even stronger penalty.?
Michael Weiner, the head of the union, indicated ?we would not agree to anything unless there was a viable alternative for a player who wanted to pursue a professional baseball career if he?s drafted by a club in year one, and he doesn?t want to sign. That way, he?s not stuck in some kind of limbo.?
Others worry a worldwide draft penalizes the teams that have already succeeded in the international market.
?It rewards the teams that aren?t putting big resources down there,? said Kevin Goldstein, who covers the minor leagues for Baseball Prospectus. ?Teams have put huge investments down there, and have opened academies, and have teams of scouts and developments down there for a reason: So they can find these kids and bring them up. Now, basically, they?re finding kids for everybody.?
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Andy McCullough: amccullough@starledger.com
Potential for international draft in new MLB collective bargaining agreement could cause chaos | NJ.com