Yes, teams will save quite a bit of money with a five-round draft, but they’ll be hurting the quality of their product.
The Atlanta Braves selected and signed 23 players from the 1981 MLB draft. None of them ever played in the major leagues. It was an extreme example of how hard it can be for teams to determine which young prospects one day will be good enough to play in the majors.
It will be even harder over the next two years. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, MLB has reduced the number of rounds in this year’s draft – to be held Wednesday and Thursday – from 40 to five. Undrafted players can receive a maximum $20,000 signing bonus. The 2021 draft is likely to be cut to 20 rounds, with the same bonus limit for players not selected.
The moves will save each MLB team only about $1 million this year, but that’s part of a bigger picture. MLB reportedly wants to eliminate 42 of 162 minor-league affiliates. Franchise owners are facing a class-action lawsuit for paying minor players below minimum wage. It’s inevitable MLB will have to increase those salaries, so reducing the number of minor-league players lessens the coming financial hit.
Baseball teams already are saving money by manipulating service time for prospects. Now they also want to squeeze more of them on the front end. Like many of baseball’s cost-saving moves, this latest scheme is short-sighted.
In each of the past 15 seasons, more than 40 million people attended minor league baseball games. An affordable night at the ballpark is a way for fans to connect to the game.
