Email a copy of 'MLB Releases 2016-17 International Bonus Pools' to a friend
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By Jeff Todd | at
Email a copy of 'MLB Releases 2016-17 International Bonus Pools' to a friend
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bbatardo
I wonder if teams can trade their slot values in principle for different years? Like say the Padres trade for a teams pool in 2016 and since Padres can’t use their pool in 2017, they trade it to team which traded them their 2016 pool..
Seems kind of shady, but wonder if it’s technically allowed.
eilexx
No, teams cannot trade their draft pools. Teams are allowed to trade away part of their international bonus pool (about 50% of it), but they cannot trade draft pools away. you get what you get and you can spend that…if you don’t spend it it disappears.
Up until the most recent CBA draft picks could never even be traded, and now only competitive balance picks—of which there are usually less than 10—can be traded, but no other picks.
Twinsfan79
I don’t know the answer but I’m gonna guess no. I think that would circumvent the punishment for going over set amount. I do like the idea of trading slot money and wish MLB would allow draft pick trading. Would make things interesting.
eilexx
The problem with trading draft-picks and pool money is that it would hurt competitive balance. In places like the NBA and NFL their is a salary cap and more shared revenue so what a team can spend is more in sync with each other. However, in MLB there are no such restrictions, and you’d likely find that when a player like Bryce Harper became available to draft that teams like the Yankees and Dodgers would be able to “buy” that player. They could go to the club with the first pick and make them an insane offer…take back contracts off their books, simply use cash, etc. The owner of a small market team (oakland, for instance) would likely take $50M or so in cash as opposed to the rights to draft Harper.