According to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure, Major League Baseball has officially declared Cuban left-hander Arolids Chapman a free agent.

The 21-year-old Chapman is widely considered one of the top unsigned pitching talents in the world. He defected from Cuba several months ago and established residency in a small European country in order to gain access to the major leagues. The Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Angels, among others, are expected to bid for his services. Sep. 25 - 6:49 pm et

I am so sick of sh*t like this. Mlb is so rigged for big market teams it is absolutely ridiculous. Not only should baseball have a salary cap, but there should be no such thing as international free agents. Anybody wishing to come to the U.S. should be drafted to at least give lower level teams a shot. this is just absolutely ridiculous that teams like the yankees basically already have this guy if you ask the "experts". this sh*t is just not fair.

I agree, but the draft system itself needs a major overhaul. I don't understand why MLB hasn't made their draft like the NFL/NBA/NHL, where draft picks can be traded. I mean, just this year you had a team like Pittsburgh, which had a high pick, taking a player who was 2nd round material 8th overall. But they don't have a choice, because picks can't be traded.

 

You also have problems with players not signing until the last minute, because each agent wants the other to make a move and set the market. This doesn't happen in the NFL, where player slot value is predetermined. MLB has tried this, but it's not enforced at all. Even in this bad economy, the majority of the top 1st round picks went over-slot price.

 

These things need to be fixed before instituting an international draft.

I agree, but the draft system itself needs a major overhaul. I don't understand why MLB hasn't made their draft like the NFL/NBA/NHL, where draft picks can be traded. I mean, just this year you had a team like Pittsburgh, which had a high pick, taking a player who was 2nd round material 8th overall. But they don't have a choice, because picks can't be traded.

 

Because that'd still just help the rich teams sign the best specs and the poorer teams would be screwed either way. They'd have to trade away draft picks for below marker prices in a similar way to how we ended up trading Miggie and D-Train for below market prices, because everyone knew we had to trade them in the end. In the NFL there really isn't such a thing as richer and poorer teams due to the salary cap. Instead, what we need in MLB is some kind of limit on how much a draftee can make (I think that's what they call a slotting system?). I don't know, I kinda suck with the financial stuff.

Every sport should have the drafting system of the NBA, with the pre-determined salaries and years of the contract depending on when you are picked. That's the best draft system, IMO.

I agree, but the draft system itself needs a major overhaul. I don't understand why MLB hasn't made their draft like the NFL/NBA/NHL, where draft picks can be traded. I mean, just this year you had a team like Pittsburgh, which had a high pick, taking a player who was 2nd round material 8th overall. But they don't have a choice, because picks can't be traded.

 

Because that'd still just help the rich teams sign the best specs and the poorer teams would be screwed either way. They'd have to trade away draft picks for below marker prices in a similar way to how we ended up trading Miggie and D-Train for below market prices, because everyone knew we had to trade them in the end. In the NFL there really isn't such a thing as richer and poorer teams due to the salary cap. Instead, what we need in MLB is some kind of limit on how much a draftee can make (I think that's what they call a slotting system?). I don't know, I kinda suck with the financial stuff.

Except that MLB won't enforce their slotting system, defeating the purpose. They just give out 'recommendations' that teams 'should' follow.

I agree, but the draft system itself needs a major overhaul. I don't understand why MLB hasn't made their draft like the NFL/NBA/NHL, where draft picks can be traded. I mean, just this year you had a team like Pittsburgh, which had a high pick, taking a player who was 2nd round material 8th overall. But they don't have a choice, because picks can't be traded.

 

Because that'd still just help the rich teams sign the best specs and the poorer teams would be screwed either way. They'd have to trade away draft picks for below marker prices in a similar way to how we ended up trading Miggie and D-Train for below market prices, because everyone knew we had to trade them in the end. In the NFL there really isn't such a thing as richer and poorer teams due to the salary cap. Instead, what we need in MLB is some kind of limit on how much a draftee can make (I think that's what they call a slotting system?). I don't know, I kinda suck with the financial stuff.

Except that MLB won't enforce their slotting system, defeating the purpose. They just give out 'recommendations' that teams 'should' follow.

Well, then the problem is there would be enforcement, not the system. By you can't just have the rich teams, who already get to sign all the good FAs, getting all the good draft picks because they're the ones who can pay it. Trading the good picks to them wouldn't help that.

I agree, but the draft system itself needs a major overhaul. I don't understand why MLB hasn't made their draft like the NFL/NBA/NHL, where draft picks can be traded. I mean, just this year you had a team like Pittsburgh, which had a high pick, taking a player who was 2nd round material 8th overall. But they don't have a choice, because picks can't be traded.

 

Because that'd still just help the rich teams sign the best specs and the poorer teams would be screwed either way. They'd have to trade away draft picks for below marker prices in a similar way to how we ended up trading Miggie and D-Train for below market prices, because everyone knew we had to trade them in the end. In the NFL there really isn't such a thing as richer and poorer teams due to the salary cap. Instead, what we need in MLB is some kind of limit on how much a draftee can make (I think that's what they call a slotting system?). I don't know, I kinda suck with the financial stuff.

Except that MLB won't enforce their slotting system, defeating the purpose. They just give out 'recommendations' that teams 'should' follow.

Well, then the problem is there would be enforcement, not the system. By you can't just have the rich teams, who already get to sign all the good FAs, getting all the good draft picks because they're the ones who can pay it. Trading the good picks to them wouldn't help that.

 

The reason it's not enforced is because of the Union.

 

The union has a say in it because of draft pick compensation for free agents. So instead of there being an enforced slot system, there's only a suggested slot system.

 

Get rid of the draft picks and you get rid of the union and you get your slot system. While that means teams will be hurt more by players that leave via free agency, it should help more with it gone since worse teams can draft better players. Right now you could argue that the draft pick system helps big market teams more. When they lose a FA, they not only get more picks, but they can spend the money for the absolute best picks on their multiple picks.

 

But the Union would also have to agree with getting rid of draft picks and having their hand out of the amateur draft. To do that, you then have to give them something in return. DUNNO WHAT they want

I think you need trading of draft picks and also pre-set salary slot and signing bonuses like in the NFL. Although, the thing that makes the MLB Draft much harder to manage than the NFL Draft is, there are no high-schoolers who can just opt to go play college ball in the NFL draft. It reduces the team's bargaining power if the player can just go to college, play a couple of years, and then raise his draft stock and get paid higher.