Will there be an MLB International Draft for 2014?

Should there be an International Draft for 2014?

Ben Badler at Baseball America has a pair of articles up (not behind the subscriber wall) regarding the International bonus pools for the 2013-2014 signing window which begins July 2^nd.

Here, Badler runs down the bonus pool that each team has to work with, ranging from the Astros ($4,943,700), Cubs ($4,557,200), Rockies ($4,213,800) and Twins ($3,908,600) at the top, to the Braves ($1,893,800), Yankees ($1,877,900), Reds ($1,862,100) and Nationals ($1,846,900) at the bottom.

All told, major league teams will have a total bonus pool of $78,226,600, compared to $87,000,000 in the 2012-13 signing window.

In the second article, Badler describes the penalties for any team exceeding their allotted pool. The exact penalties will depend on if an International Draft is in place for the '14 season or not. MLB must inform the Player's Association by June 1^st if they intend to implement an international draft system; the union will then have the option to veto the plan or perhaps negotiate something in exchange for their clearance.

There are several ramifications to discuss here.

**What do you guys think of the concept of an international draft itself?

**If you were the union, would you approve it? What kind of concession would you ask for in exchange?

**Do you think such a draft, if implemented, would hurt development of international players? Many people think that bringing Puerto Rico into the draft system hurt the sport there.