Much has been made about this year's draft breaking the mold. Many prospect watchers and fans have called for an overhaul. In the end, only two first rounders Washington (Tampa Bay) and Purke(Texas) refused to sign contracts. Equal to the number that didn't sign last season (Cole with NYY and Crow with WAS). Crow has a different set of circumstances surrounding his deadline, but to date, he hasn't entered the 2010 draft pool yet.

Does the draft need to be reworked? Lets take a look.

There are varying view points on what the draft really is in place for. I believe it is a combination of two schools of thought. The first and more traditional concept is to help level the playing field. The second, is to keep salaries down by limiting draftees' options. As I said before, the answer lies in between these two scenarios.

Today, Major League Baseball has a slotting recommendation which, as we saw the 16th, means absolutely nothing. Teams willing to spend money will work the system (Tigers, Royals, Yankees, As, Red Sox) and teams who don't get left behind (Mets are an obvious one). Does the current system lead to the worst teams having a shot at the best players? Yes. Does it mean they'll end up signing them? No, and that could be why they are drafting so highly in the first place. How can a team like the Nationals take the 10th best player available, when they need to sign the best player for 15.67 million? They would/could need to make sacrifices like the Pirates did with Tony Sanchez.

The draft doesn't work in a bubble however. The international system and free agency are heavily correlated to the draft. So we'll need to account for that as well.

How do we fix the draft?

1. Draft Pick Signing Bonuses

In order to ensure that the best players end up on the worst teams I would institute a hard slotting system. Each draft position would be designated a dollar amount prior to the draft. One's first thought should be, why would the Union ever agree to such a thing? Its a bargaining situation, so the owners would have to give something up. Before I get into that though, lets round out the hard slotting system. Personally, I see the money being spread out throughout the slots a little more, to account for the players who are signing after round 5 for a million dollars. They money spent by an organization is less overall, because teams wouldn't be able to go over slot randomly and by 600%, but the slots would be slightly higher.

2. Move the draft back

Right now, the June draft is at the end of the college season. I'd move it back slightly to the All - Star break. Have the draft be the night of the futures game (or something). Trotting the players out and about could build some hype for the draft. It also allows teams to know exactly what they are drafting. They don't have to worry about players being used as a RP the day after a start, after they draft their rights. Maybe have a combine for the players that are in the draft pool.

3. Add in the International Players to the draft pool.

Have a overall draft with the international guys too. Doesn't it seem strange that 16 year old (really? these guys are 16?) showcase players have a market advantage over Americans born kids? This needs to be corrected and the scandals need to be cleaned up. Without the high money incentive to the bucones there could be less talent. But I see the teams taking their place with training facilities. Lots of secrecy could be involved with teams hiding talent from others so they can draft their own guys. Regardless if the latter of this idea happens, adding these players into the same draft pool will keep money in owner's pockets, while cleaning up the system.

4. What do the Owners change for the Union? Arbitration.

In order to keep the "outrageous" prices down in the draft, the Union would be agreeing to a hard slotting system which would lower the amount paid to amateur players. In return they'll ask for arbitration to be revamped. First, rather than three arbitration years at 40/60/80% of the player's perceived value, there will be four arbitration years at 20/40/60/80. This would result in just two minimum salary years, rather than an additional year of arbitration. What this does, is spread the money in the owners' pockets that would have been spent on draft to veteran major leaguers who actually make it to the "show". The new first year arbitration year will allow players to deserve to make money, to actually get it.

5. The Union wants a few more changes to arbitration. Service Clock

This is a tough one to change. Right now, the service clock starts when a player reaches the major leagues. Typically one gets to arbitration after his third year in the MLB, but there is also super two status. Super two players are players who've been in the MLB 86 games the previous year and are in the top 17% of players who've played 2 years in the league, but not three.

But, now we have a system where a player reaches arbitration after his second year. But that doesn't stop a team from prolonging that process. What the Union and owners agree to is if a player plays in 60 games in a season it is considered his full year of service time (including injuries, demotions, etc...but not the expanded roster period). What this accomplishes is greater pressure on teams to call up their players for a full season. If a team is going to wait until almost August to bring up a player who would help their team be in possible playoff contention, that something they'll have to answer to their fan base about. 

6. Changing Free Agent Compensation

MLB wouldn't penalize teams for signing players. Each FA would be offered arbitration from their previous team like they are today. Decline the offer would mean the team has a window to sign the player on their own. Not offering arb at all means the team would not receive compensation for loosing said player. The new element is that a team wouldn't loose a pick for signing a player, rather a new pick would be created. Last season, the Yankees signed CC, Tex, and AJ and both Milwaukee and Toronto got screwed by a situation entirely out of their hands. Each FA will be evaluated and assigned a compensation pick(s), regardless of who signs them. The other element is the Juan Cruz situation. Cruz, after paying his dues in the MLB, wasn't really a FA, because which ever team signed him would lose their first rounder. This enables players to truly be free.

7. Trading Picks

This will add excitement. Period. While there are owners (maybe one in Florida) that could force their GMs to sell their picks to increase profits, it would destroy a team in the long run. Especially because they cannot go over slot later to compensate or sign international players.

Three Ideas/Modifcations

1. Instead of having a hard slotting system throughout, maybe have it from the 1s round on, forgetting the 1st round. The 1st would become an open round with no slots. This would increase the amount of trades in the first round and allow those exceptional players to get more money.

2. Like the idea above, this idea is gauged to the exceptional players. Each team could get one slot exemption that they could sign any player they drafted for any amount the team and player agree on.

3. Personally, I think the above is possible. However, I don't think that there should be a draft. I think each player should be able to choose his employer. This is radical, but if you graduate college, would you expect someone to come to your house and say, "pack up, we're moving cross country. Oh and by the way this is the only way for you to work in this field of work."

I hope you enjoyed.