http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/mlb-pla...t-hurdle-111311

 

The most significant hurdle to a new labor deal in baseball is gone — or close to it.

 

Players and owners are in near-agreement on draft-related issues, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations.

 

HOT STOVE

Who are the top free agents and where are they most likely to land?

 

A deal is possible Sunday or Monday, the source said, but other significant issues remain, making it possible that the negotiations will stretch into the latter part of the week.

 

The two sides are motivated to reach an agreement before then, however. The general managers’ meetings start Tuesday in Milwaukee, and the owners meet Thursday. The union, meanwhile, is holding meetings for player agents Monday through Wednesday.

 

The new deal is expected to include significant restraints on the amount of money teams spend on draft picks and significant changes in draft-pick compensation for free agents.

 

The current agreement expires Dec. 11. But at this point, it would be a shock if a new five-year deal was not in place well before that date, ensuring more than two decades of continuous labor peace.

Buster_ESPN Buster Olney

Some of the broad strokes discussed in labor agreement: Ceilings for draft bonuses based on recommendations of first 10 rounds. (More)

 

No team required to adhere to individual slot recommendations. If team surpasses 10-round ceiling, would be taxed 1st time. (more)

 

On 2nd offense of surpassing draft ceiling, team would lose a top pick. Also: 1st-rd. compensation to disappear; negotiations in progress.

 

One source says there are a handful of issues still pending, but that the talks are at "the 10-yard-line."

 

Nothing finalized, but it appears MLB will get a system that tamps down draft cost; veteran FAs won't have to deal with compensation issue.

 

 

A draft pick loss if you go heavily over slot? That's a huge penalty.

BNightengale Bob Nightengale

Despite progress, there will be no #MLB CBA agreement this week, officials say.

 

BNightengale Bob Nightengale

Despite progress, there will be no #MLB CBA agreement this week, officials say.

They got NBA withdraw!

ChiTribRogers Phil Rogers

Scott Boras says MLB should award draft picks based on revenue, not wins, and alllow teams to trade picks. That would be crazy fun dynamic.

 

ChiTribRogers Phil Rogers

Scott Boras says MLB should award draft picks based on revenue, not wins, and alllow teams to trade picks. That would be crazy fun dynamic.

 

Yeah, I can think of 27 teams that will disagree with having the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies go 1, 2, 3 in the draft every year.

 

Yeah, I can think of 27 teams that will disagree with having the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies go 1, 2, 3 in the draft every year.

 

I'm guessing you have that backwards.

 

Joelsherman1 Joel Sherman

Expectation is that Type-B compensation will be eliminated this offseason and maybe a few Type-As who really shouldn't be.

2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

 

Later Buehrle compensation.

I'm guessing you have that backwards.

So boras thinks they should give draft picks to the low revenue teams? That doesn't seem like something he'd think.

So boras thinks they should give draft picks to the low revenue teams? That doesn't seem like something he'd think.

 

Reading the text, it makes the most sense. They award picks based on wins (least wins) and if you switch that to revenue (least revenue) it follows the same logic.

Later Buehrle compensation.

 

Maybe not.

 

 

BenBadler Ben Badler

He would know RT @AdamRubinESPN Even though CBA is expiring, Sandy Alderson said draft pick compensation should remain same this offseason

6 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Reading the text, it makes the most sense. They award picks based on wins (least wins) and if you switch that to revenue (least revenue) it follows the same logic.

 

Not really. Guys generally get more money the earlier they are drafted. So why have the team with the least amount of money be expecteed to pay the most amount for a single player? As it currently is, just because you are the worst team does not mean you are the poorest team.

 

If anything, it's rewarding cheap spending and teams possibly trading away talented players just to drop their salary and get a better draft spot. I can't see why Boras would ever want to encourage a decline in team payrolls.

Not really. Guys generally get more money the earlier they are drafted. So why have the team with the least amount of money be expecteed to pay the most amount for a single player? As it currently is, just because you are the worst team does not mean you are the poorest team.

 

If anything, it's rewarding cheap spending and teams possibly trading away talented players just to drop their salary and get a better draft spot. I can't see why Boras would ever want to encourage a decline in team payrolls.

 

Honestly, if he was smart, he would want to get more talent spread around some of the worst teams in the league so that they increase their records, and then revenues, and then spending on players. It would give him more options to send players to, and not less.

So...if draft pick compensation is seriously curtailed in any way, that dramatically increases the urgency to move Danks and Quentin.

They discussing adding that you can trade draft picks?

BNightengale Bob Nightengale

Despite progress, there will be no #MLB CBA agreement this week, officials say.

Stark says negotiations will resume Thursday evening and could finish up rapidly after that point.

They discussing adding that you can trade draft picks?

I think they should be able to trade picks.

Edited November 16, 201114 yr by Soxfest

Not really. Guys generally get more money the earlier they are drafted. So why have the team with the least amount of money be expecteed to pay the most amount for a single player? As it currently is, just because you are the worst team does not mean you are the poorest team.

 

If anything, it's rewarding cheap spending and teams possibly trading away talented players just to drop their salary and get a better draft spot. I can't see why Boras would ever want to encourage a decline in team payrolls.

Revenue, people, revenue. Not payroll. It did not mention payroll.

Revenue, people, revenue. Not payroll. It did not mention payroll.

 

Oh ok, I read it wrong. Hmmm. Well, I'd still just prefer they do it based on records.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/MLB-exe...ur-draft-111511

 

Changes to baseball's amateur draft are coming, and some teams already are unhappy about the limits on spending that will take effect under the sport's new collective-bargaining agreement.

 

The CBA is not yet complete, but some general managers already are aware of new rules that will penalize clubs for exceeding a certain threshold in spending for each draft class.

 

While commissioner Bud Selig and the clubs pushed for the new restrictions, executives are not unanimous in their desire to see such changes implemented, major-league sources say.

 

The changes, one executive said, “are incredibly short-sighted and will hurt many clubs.”

 

Another executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said teams should maintain “the right to choose their course” – and if spending heavily on draft picks is their preference, they should be allowed to pursue that strategy.

 

Under the CBA, teams will be permitted to spend as much as they would like on individual picks, but will be penalized in progressive fashion if the total for their entire draft class exceeds a certain threshold.

 

A team that exceeds the threshold by a small amount will pay a tax, sources say. A team that exceeds the threshold by a larger amount also will lose a first-round pick. After that, additional penalties will apply.

 

In theory, the restrictions should benefit the low-revenue clubs, preventing high-revenue clubs from splurging on amateur talent by exceeding the commissioner’s slot recommendations in the lower rounds.

 

The Pirates, however, are an example of a club that has invested heavily on the draft in an effort to hasten their rebuilding process. The team spent $17 million on its 2011 draft, according to Baseball America — a major-league record.

 

The Cubs, meanwhile, are an example of a high-revenue team that might find the new rules frustrating. The team hired new general manager Theo Epstein in part because of his success with the draft when he was GM of the Red Sox.

 

One exec said the new rules would create “unintended consequences” that go even beyond the increased difficulty that clubs would face in trying to accelerate their rebuilding programs.

 

“More of the industry’s revenues will be funneled to major-league payroll,” the exec said. “If teams can’t spend on amateur talent, won’t that effectively inflate major-league salaries since that is the primary – or only – other avenue to get talent?”

 

Teams spent a total of $236.1 million on the draft in '11, an increase from $201.8 million in '10, according to Baseball America. Selig originally sought "hard slotting" — predetermined bonus amounts — in the CBA. The union resisted, and the coming changes amount to a compromise.

A team that exceeds the threshold by a small amount will pay a tax, sources say. A team that exceeds the threshold by a larger amount also will lose a first-round pick. After that, additional penalties will apply.

The previous version, I believe, Just said "Lose a draft pick". A first round pick is a huge penalty. No one will pay that. That would be effectively the end of over-slot bonuses.

MelissaSeguraSI Melissa Segura

Source: New MLB CBA said to include a hard cap and a floor for international signings. Unclear when it would go into effect.

 

Joelsherman1 Joel Sherman

Made a mistake yesterday that I want to clarify. There WILL be Type-B free agents this offseason. Sorry for mistake.

 

jcrasnick Jerry Crasnick

Rob Manfred of MLB said he's "really confident'' that a labor deal is going to get done.