Olney On Draft, Harper, Brewers

There's some concern among MLB executives that baseball is losing top athletes to other sports, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. It's possible that the next collective bargaining agreement will include a slotting system, but executives point out that slotted bonuses would have to be substantial to compare to the value of a college football or basketball scholarship. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:

• One GM told Olney that baseball's August trading system is "completely antiquated." Another GM admitted that he couldn't give Olney a good reason why players must pass through waivers to be traded in August.
• Nationals GM Mike Rizzo estimates that the team agreed to terms with first-overall pick Bryce Harper with about 26 seconds to spare before Monday night's deadline.
• Brewers GM Doug Melvin says he isn't going to give his veteran players away, but he's open to trading them to teams in contention. Melvin was speaking in general terms, but that approach presumably applies to Craig Counsell. The infielder has cleared waivers and is open to a trade.