The White Sox select at pick No. 11 in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, which is going to look much different than drafts of the past. There is still no official agreement in place between MLB and the MLBPA, but that decision is expected within the next week, according to Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry DiPoto on The Wheelhouse Podcast.
Back in March, the owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association agreed to shorten the draft for 2020 and beyond. That result was the only draft related certainty following those negotiations and still questions loomed like number of rounds, start date and financial implications. They have yet to be solved.
Last week at The Athletic, veteran baseball writer Ken Rosenthal reported that the most recent plan proposed by the commissioner’s office has been rejected by the MLBPA. The latest proposal from the owners calls for a draft that would include 10 rounds rather than the five rounds that has been rumored.
10 rounds is better than five and is preferred by most, but there were other restrictions in the proposal that weren’t suitable to the players. The first five rounds would contain pick slots with values equivalent to those in 2019. One potential issue with the proposal is the language regarding rounds six-through-10. Rounds six-through-10 would contain slot values slated to be just 50 percent of the slotted amounts of 2019.
In previous years, un-drafted free agents could sign with teams for up to $125K without any pool costs for the signing club. The owners are pushing for $20K limits on non-drafted players in future drafts and it’s one of the main hurdles that needs to be ironed out in the current discussions.
In the most recent proposal, owners wanted to limit clubs to signing just five players at the level of $20K. They would be allowed to sign any number of additional un-drafted players for $5K or less, however. The Players Association would like the 2020 Draft to go as many rounds as possible because it would give more players entry into the sport and also reward more players with bonus money in general.
In the piece, Rosenthal speculates that many clubs likely agree with the stance of the union. There is a small minority of teams who don’t see the value in spending in the draft, but the majority will likely prevail in this case. The league seems to possess all of the leverage in these talks, however.
The union gave up that right during talks that took place in March. Whenever they want, they could choose to just make the draft a five round affair in 2020. The owners essentially have the right to leverage the players into taking a 10 round draft with restrictions by threatening the five round scenario.
Teams will cite cash flow issues during these times of lost revenues as a reason to curtail some amateur spending. The players want as many rounds as possible, but they don’t want to add rounds if it comes with a high cost in other areas. Compromise on both sides will likely be necessary.
Rosenthal noted that Major League Baseball may send the union a new proposal, but also explained that they could hold a draft under the terms agreed upon in March. Those terms were as follows: between five-to-40 rounds, slot values equal to 2019 and unlimited number of UDFA’s at $20K.
Multiple sources have indicated to FutureSox that the 2020 MLB Draft is expected to take place on its originally scheduled date of June 10th. That’s the only part of the event that seems to be settled at this stage, though.
It’s curious that the MLBPA is suddenly interested in doing what’s best for their future members after effectively selling them all down the river during the discussions in March. The owners have used a global pandemic to further suppress the wages of players in this regard and they will ultimately succeed in multiple areas. The draft has been 40 rounds deep of late. The result of COVID-19 will be a 20 round draft in future years. Billionaires didn’t accrue their wealth by letting good crises’ go to waste and this one will be no different.
Implications for the White Sox
The Chicago White Sox have a large amateur scouting staff and despite the changes in leadership, the front office will be ready to draft on June 10th. While hoping and preparing for a 10 round draft, anything would be better than nothing for the organization at this point.
In previous years, the franchise has spent five percent over their pool during the amateur draft. They’ve also added multiple high upside prep talents on day three, which is something that won’t be tenable under the new set of rules. The White Sox have selected in the top five the past two seasons and have chosen in the top 11 picks over the course of the last six seasons.
The club holds the 11th overall pick in June’s draft. Regardless of the amount of rounds, pick 11 comes with a bonus slot of $4,547,500. In a five round draft, the White Sox would possess a total bonus pool equaling $7,764,800. That number would increase to $8,775,400 with a traditional 10 round draft.
The bonus amount would be around $500K less than that if rounds six-through-10 are cut in half as the owners have recently proposed. The last time the club owned the 11th overall pick, they chose Missouri State third baseman Jake Burger back in 2017. The scouting department and front office have taken college players in the first round every season since 2012. That could change this year as we discussed recently on a podcast for Patreon subscribers.
Despite the changes to the upcoming draft, the Chicago White Sox will be able to add significant talent to their farm system. The club will also pick 47th overall in the second round and again at No. 83 in round three. How the organization decides to deploy their resources under the stewardship of new Amateur Scouting Director Mike Shirley will be something to watch. Shirley has held a significant voice in the draft process over the past four seasons as well, though he’s served as an Assistant Director under previous head man Nick Hostetler.
Below are the Bonus Amounts in Accordance with the 2019 Totals:
1st Round: 11. $4,547,500
2nd Round: 47. $1,580,200
3rd Round: 83. $733,100
4th Round: 112. $517,400
5th Round: 142. $386,600
6th Round: 171. $293,800
7th Round: 201. $229,700
8th Round: 231. $182,300
9th Round: 261. $157,600
10th Round: 291. $147,200
Photo credit: MLB PR
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom, if on a mobile device) and click the SUBSCRIBE button. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You will get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits. Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with the latest FutureSox apparel.
Great point about the owners having the leverage. Players would like to help the drafted guys, but not if they will have to give ground on issues that pertain directly to themselves as a result. The $20k undrafted max bonus is crazy. Guys in the 4-5th of a 5 round draft or 9-10th of a 10 round draft could be hardballed big time with the bonuses they will have to accept, or risk dropping out of the draft completely.