Reese Kaplan -- A CBA Implementation of a New International Draft

Baseball is obviously fraught with a great many problems that need to be solved.  There's the issue of salary caps, luxury taxation, additional playoff rounds, PEDs, free agent timing and a myriad of others.  One that kind of came a bit out of left field was the inclusion of an international drafting option to the newly proposed CBA.

Right now the process of signing foreign talent is a bit of a wild west approach of landing a prime player as if he was the top stallion found wandering in the fields.  The players that stand out are often from impoverished environments and the proliferation of Performance Enhancing Drugs is rampant since it can mean a quick and sizable bonus that will help the youngsters take care of themselves and their family.

Under the new proposal there would be a formal drafting process for international signees much like there is for the domestic prospective candidates.  This time, however, instead of scouting colleges and high schools in the USA there would be a certain formalization of the scouting process.  Instead of verbal commitments at a young age to sign with a particular team when of permitted age, now there would be a 20-round draft which would provide opportunities for 600 prospective players.

Now the thinking behind this change is to remove the sometimes shady handshake deals and verbal commitments, remove the tendency to bulk up on PEDs to stand out from the competition, and make it equally fair for all of the teams to participate in international talent selections.  

What's interesting is that this proposed draft would accomplish a lot of these objectives but wouldn't eliminate the old way of doing things either.  Anyone not selected in the draft could still be solicited through whatever means a team chooses to use to entice a young player to become a part of their organization.  There is no limit on the number of international players a team can sign.  

Sending scouts to remote locations to find talent is not terribly expensive, but it can be a highly frustrating and unproductive endeavor.  The Dominican Republic, Central America, Venezuela and other popular recruiting destinations are not as structured for performance metrics as we have grown accustomed to absorbing here in the United States.  In addition, there are some countries where politically it is more difficult to gain access.  

Other countries have problems with illicit drugs which, in turn, can make the prospect of a player receiving a huge bonus check a somewhat dangerous development.

It is encouraging to see this aspect of baseball changing.  It is always welcome to see developments occur that improve the structure of the game and create opportunities for underprivileged folks who hope to convert the use of a wooden stick, a horsehide ball and a leather glove into a fortune.  

Since there are advantages for all teams with a draft process while simultaneously not eliminating the old methods, it appears to be a win-win for both sides.  No one should reasonably object to the proposed change and hopefully it's one topic associated with this embarrassingly long and heated negotiation.