Wednesday was a big day across Major League Baseball. Teams were allowed to sign international free agents and there was a frenzy. In all, the Angels added 18 youngsters to the organization in hopes of a brighter future.
Gabriel Davilillo was the Halos top target and is the highest rated prospect the team signed. Please take rankings of 16 year olds in far off lands with a huge grain of salt. Davilillo comes with good baseball bloodlines and a connection to the Angels.
Notice the high ratio of signings from Venezuela. The Angels are rumored to be invested pretty heavily there and it is a baseball hotbed. Every team is poring over the DR, so perhaps the Angels have found a way to give themselves a little bit of an edge.
At this point in time teams are looking at frames and hoping to develop players. I love the look of this kid. Long, whipping arms, smooth delivery, will obviously gain strength with age. This is the type of lottery ticket teams pick up in the international draft.
Taking a look at where these kids come from is humbling. We have it pretty great here in the States although you wouldn’t know it from the non stop bitching on TV. Imagine prepping for an MLB scout on this field (although I love the view).
So more lottery tickets added this week and the Angels still have about $800,000 in resources to sign more last I checked. Of course, that money can also be used to trade for players or prospects and it just so happens our neighbors to both the north and south would like to do just that.
Why? Because Roki Sasaki has yet to determine his landing spot and they are trying to woo him by adding every penny they can to their offer.
Roki, however, is not the only Japanese player in the eligible pool. Sacramento signed 18 year old two way player player Shotaro Morii for a cool $1.5 million fresh out of high school. (Yes, they are Sacramento to me now).
Who is this kid? A shortstop with power. A large framed teenager. And a guy who already hits 94 MPH on the mound.
I’m wishing Perry was all over that. Unless, of course, Japanese players justifiably want no part of this organization after watching Ohtani’s career arc.
The international signing period is one way to add great talent. The Angels also pick second overall in the domestic draft. Welcome a new series that will track the top 3-5 likely draft picks throughout the season. each week Nolan will update us on how the top of the board performed and if there are changes at the top of the rankings. Please feel free to play armchair GM in the comments and plug players you think would be great a 2 or 46.
That is, of course, assuming the Angels pick 46th. Pete Alonso is now expected to sign somewhere other than New York and we all know how much Arte loves aging sluggers. Would a short term contract make sense? For a lot of teams, yes. For this one, no.
One guy not considering a short term deal is Alex Bregman. Rendon 2.0 reportedly turned down 6 years and $156 million from Houston so let’s see what happens. If his market craters, it couldn’t happen to a better guy.
On the other hand, Corbin Burnes took less money to pitch close to home and be a family man. Hard to call a guy a hero for settling for $210 million but it shows he has his priorities straight. You only get your kids for so long and it goes quickly.
Burnes moved to Arizona when he was a Brewer and liked it enough to stay. I’m planning on hitting a Brewers game this March myself. If you want tips planning your Spring Training trip, here they are.
Somehow we are already a quarter of the way through this century, something the Y2K crowd would’ve never though possible. The Angels released an All 2000s team. Do you agree with the selections?
I’ll wrap this up with the greatest Hall of Fame speech I’ve ever heard. It could only be delivered by one man. A man who made the world laugh and smile and made countless days better merely with his presence and voice. We lost Bob Uecker yesterday but for generations of baseball fans we should be thankful he was part of our lives.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. I have a free weekend lined up. With spring baseball looming, I think we’ll hit some baseballs and get a little ramped up for the season. We’re less than a month away from camps opening and exactly 4 weeks out from NCAA baseball starting up.
We lost an old time Angel today. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/01/jeff-torborg-passes-away.html
Torborg caught Ryan’s first no no as well as Bill Singer’s He was premium years before premium was even born
RIP Jeff.
Cant hate on the Dodgers for exploiting the CBA.
Bit a real league needs parity. As of now there’s no reason for a kids in ribs of MLV markets to be one fans.
The next CBA needs more revenue sharing, a floor to ensure those funds are spent on payroll, and tougher luxury taxes that can’t be circumvented with deferrals.
Exactly what needs to happen. Owners will want more free spending restrictions to even things out, but will MLBPA agree with any of it? Is 2026 going to be a lockout year, it’s looking that way.
Thing is, teams that don’t spend the revenue sharing money on players piss me off just about as much as the Doyers. I’m not sure who pisses the MLBPA more, but if I were them, after the last two winters, I’d be willing to trade a fairly high cap for a significant spending floor.
Here’s the poll that is getting uglier by the hour…
I would be pretty willing to let the 2027 season not happen but get a salary cap. I think if that poll stays 2/3 YES it may actually signal a little something to the MLBPA and Owners
This is getting ridiculous. Now they get Tanner Scott too. https://www.mlb.com/news/tanner-scott-dodgers-contract
Dodgers ownership is committed to winning and has little concern about the cost. They figured out how to market their brand globally, and realize that winning generates cashflow to sustain their operating strategy. They acquire players utilizing all available methods (farm system, trades and free agency). They have the infrastructure to understand the CBA and use all defined terms and clauses to further their objectives.
Dodger administrative and baseball operations executives create an environment for success. As a fan, this is exactly what you want your team to do. I’m not going to whimper or whine about the precision by which they execute their strategy. I’m envious that they’ve built what Arte was unable or unwilling to do.
Not much an Angel fan can complain about with Arte being Arte. Dodgers are a perfectly run organization, but does a lot of what they do right take a huge revenue flow that majority of teams don’t have? I wonder if we are looking at a future of small market teams like Reds-,Marlins. and such being totally irrelevant when they can’t commit to spending big on FA’s, or even worse when the big dogs take their homegrown stars. And then there’s the Giants and Jays, the teams that want to spend but can’t sign the best players because they want to join a team already stacked. I get why people outside LA are sick of the Dodgers, but at least wait a couple of years to see if this mega team is really a WS guarantee. If they 3 peat, we’ll then …………!
What teams exceeded the luxury tax threshold in 2024?
The Richest MLB Owners, Ranked By PERSONAL Net Worth:
Cohen (NYM) $19.9B
Rogers (TOR) $11.5B
Malone (ATL) $9.9B
Walter (LAD) $6.2B
Lerner Family (WAS) $6.6B
Dolan (CLE) $5.5B
Henry (BOS) $5.1B
Arte (LAA) $4.9B
Johnson (SFG) $4.8B
Ricketts (CUBS) $4.5B
Middleton (PHI) $4.1B
Dewitt (STL) $4B
There’s 6 owners (NYY, LAS, TEX, MIN, DET, BAL) with net worth in the $3B range. The “poorest” owner by net worth is Bob Castellini (CIN) with a net worth of $400M.
https://www.ranker.com/list/richest-mlb-owners/david-de-la-riva
What are the next steps for MLB spending controls?
OPINION: The players and agents will never give up the cash cow that MLB has become. The owners can’t police themselves. The players can’t police the owners (and likely don’t want to).
Given the amount of money involved and the reality that MLB baseball has made many people rich, there will be some movement to the middle on these issues, but it’ll never be enough to dissuade the mega-wealthy owners from closing all gaps that prevent what the Dodgers are doing today.
And how many of those Owners have TV packages paying their ball club $400 Million a year?
No real revenue sharing means no real parity.
It’s all about making money, and as long as they’re making money, with few exceptions, winning is pretty secondary. Unlike fans, who focus on winning.
Still think the Dodgers have the best farm system?
If they did they wouldn’t be using FA as much as they do.
In the last few weeks, their farm system was rated in the top 10 (I think it was #7 or #8).
Your continued narrative that the Dodgers farm system is weak remains unsupported by facts.
I was at a college basketball game in Idaho (where I live) last night. There were many LA Dodgers hats in the audience. Maybe one of these people I knew and they are life long Dodgers fans but many I assume are bandwagoners. People love a winner and the Dodgers are capturing that market.
A lot of people from Southern California have moved to Idaho as well.
Arte…. and baseball…. all of the rest of baseball
Like I said, Manfraud has an NLB optics problem, with other teams and their fans. He only has a couple of viable options, let it all happen, offer extra revenue sharing to the other teams and hope to keep his job, or wield the infamous, Louisville Slugger Rev Halofan autograph model “ban hammer”. The fallout from all these Dodgers moves will be felt for years.
MLB optics problem. Damn phone.
😂😂😂
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if latrine brass has lunch scheduled with Cy Young, Ruth, Mantle, Mays, and Aaron this week.
Overpay
I don’t know – he’s pretty filthy. Definitely one of the best relievers. It’s a lot of money – but he’s dang good.
GO RAMS!!!
Wonder if Trout is in Philly?
I’m sure he is .
Rams out…Eagles move on.
S/T can’t get here soon enough.
It’s going to be a long season but I hope for the best.
Nothing to see here, move along. Winks and nods don’t count.
https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-investigation-reportedly-found-no-evidence-of-roki-sasaki-dodgers-handshake-deal-before-he-was-posted-231112216.html
Every organization is sick of the Dodgers so they are reaching for nothing. Nice try. Forget the Astros, D blue is the most hated team in MLB. Not like they care.
Why does everything have to be a conspiracy theory these days?
Like what’s the point in puffing your chest out and declaring you don’t believe something a giant corp said, but still consuming and financially supporting their product.
If it’s all rigged, down to investigations into wrongdoing, and you don’t stop watching, who’s the rube here, ya know?
/rant
No conspiracy. He wanted to be a dodger and now he’s a dodger. His right all the way. The process just happened to be a joke this time and I think that’s the real story. As far as being a rube…. Well we are die hard fans of a team Artie owns so yeah
Mia – I agree. It’s the result of a social media society. Everyone fashions themselves a reporter.
Doesn’t help that the oligarchs own the majority of social media and MSM platforms.
Couple that with the average American having no media literacy whatsoever.
So what you’re saying, Mia is there is a conspiracy of conspiracists to sabotage their conspiracies?
Brilliant
Priceless!!
😂 😂
It’s just conspiracies all the way down.
GMTA
It’s conspiracies all the way down.
He was a doyer before he was probably even posted . We all know that. It’s pretty humorous that MLB did an “investigation” Now that’s whats rich. Nothing to see here move along is right. It was inevitable. It’s just laughable at this point but they are in the position to get away with it so whatever.
Much like the “investigation” into the $700M gambling problem.
Thank you Ippei…there is a big check waiting when you get out!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Manfraud releasing this propaganda piece because he knows he has a BIG optics issue, which isn’t just going to go away. This is a PR nightmare for Manfraud and MLB, and Manfraud works for the owners of all the teams. Wonder if she me owners will band together and decide NOT to give him their vote of confidence. Manfraud may have to work out a deal where some teams get a little extra “revenue sharing “.
The entire tour of teams was a sham and done in bad faith.
This might be part of the reason.
How can you conduct an effective investigation prior to Sasaki’s posting on December 9th if the allegation stems from improper negotiations between December 10th and the new International signing window beginning on January 15th? ManFraud got a Time Machine now?
Those international signees look like they are little leaguers!
Jeff – you are 💯% correct re the difficult conditions these young athletes overcome. Must make Arte’s minor league conditions seem world-class to them by comparison. 😉
OODA Loop
Col John Boyd USAF……..BTW the 78 yr old rich guy was in the AF.
As this winter pause has unfolded it seems to unveil one very important thing, the Angels are still clueless in what direction to take and how to arrive to the conclusion of being set to climb back into the ring. So, the Gorilla in the room is the Dodgers and they have a plan and know how to follow it.
What could help the state that MLB is in now, is not changing the game more, but to get a commissioner that truly knows the game and knows how to go about leading it into its best competitive advantages, that includes getting the Union on board with seeing the advantages of a spending cap and a spending floor. But first thing to do is see where the Dodgers go in the next 5 seasons with their spending antics such as back loading contracts. No matter what the future outcomes are with the cap, the Dodgers will still have to deal with players being overvalued, players being injured, players having off seasons, fan resentment to paying out too much money for value not received, the farm system failing to produce etc. At some point you have to pay the piper and there is no escaping that point.
The problem you’re having is that the plan they are following doesn’t take shape in 3 1/2 months.
Draft: I see one pretty obvious choice and Plan A for that second pick in a few months: If Ethan Holliday is there, no question – you pick him. After for whatever reason, it’s a good possibility that could happen.
And if not, there are lots of other options and Jace but we have a few months to watch.
But choice A is Ethan Holliday.
Why? Is he the next Mike Trout? And what’s his projected time to MLB?
This team needs pitching badly including a stud college-based arm. I don’t know if the top prospects in college qualify at that level (or whether they are more Brady Singer) but something needs to be done. There is also the Texas AM power hitter. Arte would like him.
We desperately need a 3rd baseman of the future.
The answer is way better, exponentially better rather scouting and development of younger players (American HS and Latin American).
We aren’t competitive at player development anymore because of this and the fact that we go for QUANTITY OVER QUALITY nobody is a hidden gem anymore in this cyber digital age. No more Matt Thaiss and Nolan Schaneul PLZ!!!
Such a tired narrative.
Yeah. But as long as you don’t understand how often prospects bust, especially after the top 5 picks, while focusing a lot on the few prospects that don’t bust on other teams, then you can just piss about this all the time.
he has been the consensus #1 draft choice of this draft class for several years running and continues to be.
don’t over think this.
Then he will go first and there is no need to think.
Thing is, we are not picking #1.
The fun part is arriving in your town soon, the college Baseball Season! Lots of players will track upwards 🔝 and ditto for the Downwards 🔻 , but Holiday could be Trouty 2, but the fun part is still going to the fun of watching it all unfold.
“It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over”
https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-chances-of-repeating-as-world-series-champs
just better hope no rattlesnakes show up
Great insight in that article. But that writer will be proven wrong. All the years of modern baseball, when has a team been assembled like this; MVP hitters, Cy Yng’s, international superstars. While nothing is guaranteed, Dodger brass has done their best to buy a Dynasty. Gone the days when they developed the Kemp, Puig, Eithier, then Seager, Belli, Verdugo eras. Great teams that failed in playoffs. Dodgers are a different beast now. What of the American League? Sorry Yanks and others, your outclassed. The only team that can can beat Dodgers is themselves; injuries, mistake pitches, errors, maybe a Mookie Wilson ball rolling thru.
In the last 20 months, Phoenix has hosted more World Series games than LA.
Any team with pitching can shut Doddyers down in a short series.
Money 🤑 can buy a nice September but is no guarantee of a trophy.
or you can be the angels and have money while guaranteeing a horrible September and no trophy.
Branch Rickey is spinning in his grave.
Well, I believe the Mets are now out on Alonzo, probably doesn’t mean the Halos are in though….
I know most of us are old enough to remember Kevin Durant joining the warriors being proclaimed as the death knell of the NBA. Didn’t quite happen.
No one stays on top forever. Guys get hurt, guys fall off, guys regularly never live up to expectations and big deals.
Something will happen to bring balance to the force again.
No one stays on top forever. Think about how old the Dodgers will be when we hit our window. With all those contracts owed.
The bill always come due.
Until they heavily modify the luxury tax or get a salary cap like the NHL, NBA, NFL parity will never exist.
Many experts say that the MLB players union is the most powerful union in the world. They may never allow it.
The gap between the haves and the have not’s is enormous now.
Parity? Isn’t that a large wooden ship?
New World order….. 😑
No, you’re thinking of “Diversity”
So what you’re saying is we should expect that Roki’s, Yamamoto’s & Ohtani’s Arms will all fall off with a 12 month period?
Got it.
I mean, I keep trying to get a hold of them about their arms’ extended warranty…
The policy benefits on the policy are deferred over 10 years.
Either that or what she’s saying is we should hope for that. I get it. But it’s little consolation. Ruining a sport like such doesn’t help.
The only silver lining at all is the Dodgers aren’t an AL team.
Shohei has had two surgeries, Roki is young and likely to need it at some point(they all do). Yamamoto probably deserves some concern too.
Elbows are fickle things and not the only injuries pitchers face. Just ask their teammates.
a short series in October anything can happen
The Yankees did the same back in the 70s with the “Best Team Money Can Buy” and were successful without destroying the game, so I imagine it will weather the Dodgers too. And by the way, LeBron assembled his own championship team in Miami that was supposed to upset balance in the NBA, and they came through that as well.
The NBA is having a very public crisis of declining viewership and interest. Maybe Durant to Golden State or LeBron to Miami wasn’t an *immediate* death knell but I think its fair to point to that trend of star-clustering and neutered GMs as one thing on a list of reasons why some people lost interest in the NBA.
Out of all the major sports, the NBA is by far and away the best product imo.
Viewership ratings have been trending down for all sports outside of football for the longest time now.
What the Dodgers are doing can’t be replicated in any other sport (other than maybe soccer?). I’ve been against an MLB salary cap my entire life until now. The competitive imbalance is a fucking joke (January!). We need a salary cap + floor.
NBA shooting 40 3’s a game is a problem, load management is a problem, coaches scolding us is a problem.
Still think the NBA has the world’s greatest athletes, but the game has fallen off dramatically. Don’t even watch anymore. More time following NHL, NFL, MLB.
imo
agree with your Doyer opinion 100%
It’s awesome you like it (NBA). There are many reasons why that product is far inferior to previous decades, depending on personal opinion/preference of course. Having positive outlets in life are important so continue to enjoy. I stopped paying attention/watching a long time ago. Rugby, football, NHL, MLB, & cricket for me and I don’t watch much of the latter 3.
I dislike the NBA because it’s a league full of narcissists.
As far as I know there are spending limits in soccer too.
Same thing was going on a few decades ago. And then Jordan, Bird, and Magic showed up.
Things change, interest fluctuates.
About 45 years ago, before Magic/Bird the NBA finals were shown on tape delay at 11PM and had a huge cocaine problem. As you pointed out they saved the league and then some.
About 95 years ago in America, MLB was 4th in popular behind Boxing, Horse Racing and College Football.
At one point in American sports history, even the Cleveland Browns were great. Paul Brown was an innovator, they won many Championships before it was called the Super Bowl.
Of course this was before humans invented electricity, the wheel, water and fire.
Weren’t the Cleveland Rams a thing before the browns??
Yes. That was the dark ages, the sun hadn’t been invented yet.
And once upon a time the LA Rams were a thing before the St Louis Rams
This movie has been replayed here before. LA Buccaneers (traveling team), Cleveland Rams to LA, LA Rams to Anaheim, Anaheim Rams to St Louis, St Louis Rams back to LA.
At one point horse racing, track and boxing were huge.
No one cares about my opinion, I don’t either. I find myself becoming less and less a fan of this sport in the last few years. Don’t get me wrong, I still go to more games than the majority here but mainly because it’s a cheap family outing. Nothing quite like a day/night at the park. I’m sure the media will drum up some sappy stories and the team up north will have to overcome some sort of adversities through the year. This isn’t about deferrals, winning on paper, getting all the trades, free agents, etc. just like what the fuck is the point here? Maybe I’m just sad about Bob Uecker and the good ol days being long gone but not giving a shit about the sport is reason enough for this rant.
The butthurt is strong today. Like is anyone actually surprised Roki chose where he did? And please help me understand: really, I am not trying to troll but what is the obsession with the sniping about deferrals? It’s not like it was invented 35 miles up the 5.
Sure, the “New Deferral rate” on steroids is offensive to some…. I don’t know what to say, I’m jealous, and rooting against and hating your rivals is part of the fun?
Since this appears to be completely normal and done frequently…. what team has ever come close to this number of players at the same time or the amount deferred?
And with that said, maybe it will become more wide spread, and benefit the Angels roster in the future. Great, NIL has given College Football new levels of parity almost over night.
I also admit I know very little about high level finance.
So ‘F’ the Doyers
The Dodgers deferrals are egregious and piss in the face of the luxury tax and any semblance of competitive balance.
Deferrals started to help teams maintain cash flow. This is 100% tax avoidance. That’s the difference.
I (Don’t) look forward to when MLB cracks down on deferrals, the Blew Crew will get to grandfather in all their deferred contracts as the MLBPA is strong.
Sooner or later the IRS and FTB will have something to say about this.
I doubt the IRS cares. They’ll still get theirs over time.
The FTB definitely cares. And I’ve read Silicon Valley has a lot of contracts deferred as well. I’m sure those guys are happy the Dodgers exposed their tax dodge.
If it has anything to do with income you can bet the IRS cares.
But your probably right that the FTB will be the most interested.
Yes they will and it will give them an edge for years.
But Jeff, all MLB owners have the option to exploit contract deferrals. It’s just unfortunate our owner chooses not to.
Sure, yeah, any owner can just do a big ass deferral. Players love the idea no matter the team or location. The A’s could do it just as often as the Doyers with the same players fo sho.
Personally, I was shocked and appalled.
If Arte had built a juggernaut team around Ohtani we’d have had a chance at Roki. It is that simple.
I did lose a lot of respect for him wasting everybody’s time. The tour and meetings were a dog and pony show when everybody knew the outcome. That’s not the way I like to conduct myself or do business.
That’s the thing, right?
Ohtani chose us first (because of no DH in NL at the time). If we were competive during his 6 years in Anaheim it’s completely reasonable that it would have been us with Trout, Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki. 💔💔💔
Is what it is. Excited to beat the Japanese Dodgers more than ever. Let’s get good again and reignite the freeway rivalry!
Arte could have extended Ohtani cheap early in year 3
I look at it like this:
You were dating a girl in college. She was great. Everyone knew it. But you couldn’t get your shit together and she left and you can’t really blame her.
She predictably went to the better looking guy whose parents have money that you hate. But you can’t really blame her.
They are happy in a big house and have a beautiful kid while you still haven’t gotten your shit together.
The Angels are that guy to Ohtani.
Amazing analogy, JJ
I sure as Hell still blame her!
(J/K, I married a Queen)
Unless you win a powerball lottery…..LOL!!!!
“The Angels are that guy to Ohtani”
No, Arte is that guy to Ohtani.
Man, I got to admit, he looked pretty average at the plate, then…boom!
I have no issue with the barnstorming. I would want to see what every baseball club, city, the vision that each team would offer to see if it would sway or confirm my no. 1 choice. He narrowed it down, let teams know along the way.
We should get Jayce Tingler and Anthony Rizzo
Does this mean Kershaw is going to the Rangers now? He said he was staying in LA – but I don’t see it.
Nah, they’ll keep Kersh for a cool one year 25mil, why not? Same with May, Gonslin, Miller, Ryan. Guys who other teams would be happy to have in their starting rotation.
I guess now all the Doyer haters have…..that all 13 or 14 high priced pitching starters stay healthy this year and only 5 or 6 can be in the rotation. And everyone is sitting in standby pitching Sim games in AZ.
I don’t see the Dodgers not signing Kershaw if he wants to pitch for them. I even see them implementing a six-man rotation not only to acclimate Sasaki but to reduce innings for Kershaw and Ohtani in hopes they won’t get injured again.
Weren’t we told long ago, about some unwritten rule? An unknown Japanese cultural taboo, or maybe it was just a Shohei’s mom’s Japanese urban legend…………it claimed that Japanese players didn’t want to follow each other to the same team, out of respect, elders related, or something cultural that we didn’t understand and a mystery , it was considered improper.
Maybe that was just an old timey Angel trAdition…..and the Doyers have a new tradition, and it was just deferred.
I don’t ever remember hearing a Japanese player say that. It might have happened once. But I think it was more “experting” by people who want you to know they think they know something than Japanese players being willing to go to Seattle just to avoid getting mushed in with fellow Nippon players.
Never heard it from a player, just the Internet Japanese Mythology Interpreters.
But not being from there, and acknowledging there is a cultural difference, it seemed to be in the vapor and was questioned. I’ll just blame Shohei’s mom.
You are right to a point. Not so much as the follow, but making their ‘own mark’ A lot of the culture is about honor and respect and it transcends into sports. Looking back, wasn’t that a major reason Ohtani chose us instead of Seattle; Ichiro already established a Mariners legacy. There were many fans in Japan that thought Ohtani would stay in Anaheim, cause it’s his ‘home’. So much for that lol.
I got a cultural thought about the 78 yr old rich guy, however it’s too controversial to talk about on this blog. Charles Sutton has already said it’s one of the forbidden topics.
oh dear
Yeah, let’s not get into making fun of speech patterns.
Yamamoto?
As opposed to Lebron James and Bronny.
The fix was in as expected on Sasaki surprising no one, except maybe some Blue Jay or Padre fans.
No “fix” was in. I don’t like it, but the Dodgers present the best opportunity to win a championship.
Yeah. It’s not a FIX. It’s just like when you see a dating show with a lady on it who looks like a swimsuit model but they have to spend all season playing like the guy might pick the plucky fat girl or the loud redhead with a huge nose.
Nope. It was the hot chick.
Look for MLB to tighten the “deferred money” provision in the next CBA. Having one “super team” in baseball is bad for business and impacts fan interest.
The players wouldn’t agree to it but even so , Who really cares?. Unless MLB starts utilizing similar draconian penalties for going over spending thresholds like they do for the Rule 4 amateur draft ( penalties such as losing your next year’s first round draft pick if you go over 105% of your total draft signing pool or 2 first round picks ( plus cash penalties) if you go over 115% of your total draft signing pool) Teams like the Doyers will continue to just pay the Competitive Balance taxes with or without deferments)
I mean screw it . If a team wants to pay big salaries to build their roster great but they should be forced to build a farm system without any 1st or second round draft picks or international free agents over the course of their overpriced free agents’ mega deals.
This.
The sad thing is – if there’s a GM/POBO who could build a farm without any first or second round draft picks, it’s Friedman.
This should help push to the implementation of an International Draft in exchange to remove the Qualifying Offer from FA.
Unfortunately the MLBPA said no thank you to the Owners’ proposed draft structure.