Draft Fix Could Mean More Bang for Bucs

By Paul Ladewski

POSTED: June 23, 2010

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PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates have signed one draft pick higher than a 12th-rounder thus far, but along with the other major league teams, they may have an ally in the annual tug-of-war with high school and college prospects.

Talk grows louder that significant modifications in the draft will be in place after the 2011 season, when the collective bargaining agreement is scheduled to expire. Among the areas that will be open to debate are the option to trade draft picks, inclusion of international players, extended rights to high schoolers and adoption of a slot-based salary scale.

"The commissioner's office has been open to a change in the system, and most likely, fewer dollars being available as we move forward," general manager Neal Huntington said.

While any proposal will be subject to negotiation between the players union and club owners, the real possibility of a more rigid economic system coupled with an industry-wide decline in revenues may prompt some draft picks to sign now rather than roll the dice on an uncertain future later.

"There's no question that both sides need to keep it in mind," Huntington said. "It is something that will factor in the negotiations. How heavily (it plays a role) will depend on each situation specifically."

As it stands, Major League Baseball offers suggestions about signing bonuses for each draft slot, but organizations are not required to follow them. As a result, a number of them pay in excess of the stated value even in later rounds.

"We will make them aware of it, but it's not like (a new system) is definitely around the corner," Huntington said. "It's not like the structure is definitely in place. Right now, it's just a lot of theory and hypothetical situations. We have got to be careful about what is definitely coming and what could be coming."

At the same time, Huntington said, "Much like we talk about the upside of a (Stephen) Strasburg or even a (Anthony) Renaudo, who isn't drafted all that high out of high school and now becomes a first-round pick, the flip of that is the player that has been drafted out of high school, is offered a six-figure bonus then gets nothing later."

In order to gain leverage, the draft selections and their agents are known to delay serious discussions until the final weeks of the negotiation period.

Team officials consider the tactic to be counterproductive for the prospects because it pushes back their minor league development and major league arrival times.

"We've seen the distinct advantages of players going out and playing whether it's for their development curve or the immediate assimilation of professional baseball," Huntington said. "That first half season is wearing on some young players and almost overwhelming. Generally speaking, we'd love to get as many of these guys out playing, but there's a process that we have to work with."

Of its 50 recent draft selections, the organization expected to sign approximately half of them before the Aug. 16 deadline. Huntington declined to give a status report on any of them at this time.

"The reality is, I've probably talked too much in the past about the on-going negotiations," he said. "For all parties interested, whether it's the first pick, the second pick or the 23rd-round pick, we'll address the situations as they sign (contracts) and pass physicals. Other than that, we won't have much to update."

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