Major League Baseball has set the order for Competitive Balance Rounds A and B of next year’s draft, reports Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Those rounds, which take place after the completion of the first and second rounds, respectively, are comprised of picks awarded to teams that are considered in the bottom 10 in terms of market size and/or revenue.
As Mayo explains, last season marked the beginning of MLB utilizing a more formulaic approach to determining Competitive Balance order rather than a lottery, as had been done in previous drafts since the Competitive Balance rounds’ inception prior to the 2013 season. The league’s formula took into account total revenue and winning percentage among the 14 teams that received Competitive Balance picks. Based on the results of that formula, the Rays, Reds, A’s, Brewers, Twins and Marlins were awarded the six picks in Comp Round A last year, with the other eight teams (D-backs, Padres, Rockies, Indians, Royals, Pirates, Orioles, Cardinals) all falling into Comp Round B.
Under the new system, those two groups will now flip on an annual basis, meaning the six teams that were awarded Comp Round A picks in 2017 will now comprise the teams selecting in Comp Round B. Likewise, the eight teams that comprised Comp Round B in 2017 will now comprise Comp Round A in 2018. Notably, the Rays will pick in both rounds, as they’ve received the No. 32 overall pick as compensation for failing to sign last year’s No. 31 overall pick, Drew Rasmussen.
According to Mayo, the rounds will play out as follows:
Round A
31. Pirates
32. Rays (Compensation for Rasmussen)
33. Orioles
34. Padres
35. D-backs
36. Royals
37. Indians
38. Rockies
39. Cardinals
Round B
70. Marlins
71. Athletics
72. Rays
73. Reds
74. Brewers
75. Twins
It should also be noted that this isn’t yet likely to represent the final draft order. Competitive Balance draft selections are the only picks that are eligible to be traded from one team to another under baseball’s collective bargaining agreement. These picks can only be traded during the regular season, though, and each pick can only be traded one time. (The Royals, for instance, cannot acquire the Orioles’ pick and then trade it to another team.)
The specific placement of these picks in the overall draft order figures to change as well as draft-pick compensation from qualified offers slightly alters the ordering of the picks both surrounding the Competitive Balance rounds. Generally speaking, though, this serves as a rough guideline for next summer’s draft and helps to provide a clearer picture of which teams will have the largest draft pools.
The Royals, for instance, could very well have five of the top 40 or so picks in the draft between their first-round selection, their Competitive Balance selection, and the likely comp picks for Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain (which would fall after the first round and before Competitive Balance Round A so long as each of that trio signs for $50MM or more in guaranteed money).
Meanwhile, the Rays stand to have six of the top 72 selections if Alex Cobb signs a contract worth more $50MM or more and would otherwise have six of the top 80 if he signs elsewhere for less than $50MM (which would push the compensatory pick for his free agency back after Competitive Balance Round B).
Is there a limit of what a team’s payroll can be in order to receive this pick?
That the Cardinals can have a likely payroll of way over $100MM (Cots Baseball has it at $126MM before any upgrades) and still get this pick is ridiculous. I don’t care what your “market size” is, if you can drop $150MM on payroll, you don’t need this pick.
So because Dewitt reinvests in his product, meaning its sounds as tho unlike many of those other teams in that listing he puts more profits into the team and what the team should be penalized?
I for the life of me can not figure out why fans consistently side with ownerships when talking about salaries of players, why is it ok that the owner take more then 50% of the profit pie while raising prices and blaming escalating player salaries for said prices and lower competitive product.
If the Cardinals added Stanton last year, they would have been a top 10 payroll. There’s a strong chance that, by the end of the next season, they are there.
The question is: should a team that can afford a top 10 payroll be getting a “competitive balance” draft pick?
And part of the reason they can potentially take on Stanton is because they gave a new TV deal starting in 2018.
The Cardinals will be moving towards the larger market spending now.
penalized? not getting an unfair advantage isn’t being penalized.
THIS
No, the Cardinals should not be penalized. They also should not be getting extra draft pick compensation. Regardless of their market size, they are continuously one of the top 10 highest valued, highest revenue and most profitable teams. Not a team that needs the competitive balance draft compensation to survive playing against the big boys.
Their “market”, if you know anything about the 1950’s-to-present, is Arkansas to New Mexico, into about half of Illinois, with Texas and part of Missouri scissored off.
All teams have cash. Lots of it. Some just aren’t good at managing it.
It has to do with revenue, not payroll.
As it should.
Except that’s not true. It has to do with the team’s so-called “market,” and the St. Louis Cardinals’ market is SIGNIFICANTLY bigger than MLB gives it credit for.
Ah so the Cardinals are still pretending to be a small market team and they get awarded a pickthe year immediately following their scandal. Its the Cardinal way!
The market is what it is. A team doesn’t decide. BTW, Go Cards!
If you don’t understand what “market” is, just say so.
Rays could have 6 of the top 72 picks? Wow.
Might anyone have a guess as to the dollar totals of all 30 teams at this point? (Of course, it will change with the signing of QO players, but I’m curious of the early projections.)
the rays ought to forget MLB andd just become an AAA team – they get about the same attendance and are pretty much a development house for guys to be traded to other teams for guys that they can develop and trade to other teams.
Great point but since I live in Tampa and love to go to see MLB games in person I’d rather Rays keep it up. I go to 20 games per year for about $400 in lower level and free parking.
Pls trade all overpaid old farts as younger players are far more interesting!
They will be fine when they move the stadium out of st Pete where it is absolutely brutal to get to and from for a game.
Ah yes, we have reached the part of the year where MLB awards competitive balance picks to four playoff teams and a fifth team that, arguably, is one of the top five most important and popular franchises in the league and has no discernable competitive disadvantage. This system needs fixing. Bounce the Cards from it, as well as any team that made the playoffs that season. Those teams seem to already be competitively balanced.
Right, we should penalize small market teams who do things right?
Good grief. We aren’t suggesting a “penalty”. We’re mentioning the absurdity that a team with a potential top ten payroll in baseball getting extra draft picks because of geography and stuff.
Agreed, the Cardinals have no reason in getting a competitive balance pick.. This system definitely needs to be addressed.. Something like automatically putting playoff teams of small markets into the B category makes sense.. The inclusion of the Cardinals and the Orioles makes the process look flawed..
Small market? Lol. Only Cardinal fans think they are “small market.” The Cardinals’ market is far more vast than the St. Louis metro area. They have a nationwide following. They are the 7th most valuable MLB franchise as ranked by Forbes and “have generated a total of $200 million in operating income the past three seasons, more than any other baseball team.” Their TV deal is a 15 year/$1B deal kicking in in 2018. The team also owns 30% of Fox Sports Midwest and play to the third highest local TV ratings in baseball, making advertising income much easier to come by. Also from Forbes, in ESPN nationally televised games, the Cardinals were the 9th most successful team at garnering ratings this year, meaning they have more national TV appeal than 21 other MLB teams. This notion that they are some disadvantaged MLB property is disingenuous at best.
Exactly right. They are the Green Bay Packers of baseball.
You are missing the point of these additional draft picks entirely. The First Year Player Draft is already designed to competitively balance teams based on their winning record…the teams with the worst records get to pick higher in every round, and those early picks in the first round are in general worth way more than the Competitive Balance picks.
The point here is to give teams with fewer available resources a boost, to help them compete with the Yankees, Dodgers, and such. I guarantee you the Rays or A’s would forfeit their Competitive Balance Pick to be able to throw 200 million plus at their payroll each year.
I get people griping about the Cardinals, but to say that playoff teams should not get these picks shows a fundamental lack of understanding regarding how the draft works, and why these picks exist.
How is it the Orioles get a Competitive Balance pick and the Nationals do not? Isn’t there still a lawsuit going on where the Orioles own most of the tv rights for their shared area and they take the lions share of the profits while just throwing crumbs to the Nats? Plus, they have payrolls consistently over $150 million a year ($182 million in 2017 according to Cot’s).. You can combine both the Rays and A’s payrolls ($178 million) and not get to what the Orioles spent last year..
The Orioles pick last year was in group B so this year it is in A. Pretty simple
It’s a travesty that these picks are available at all.
Yes agreed! I vote a salary min and max for all MLB teams. Provide the fans with competitive balance instead of allowing MLB owners to fill their pockets by allowing large market teams cheap against AAAA talent
Lol cheap WINS* against lesser talent
Loosing 90 games but owners pocketing millions
Thanks for the clear concise info regarding
If winning % is a factor in the formula how can the group A and group B teams flip flop from year to year?
Commie BS
No, a salary cap is commie b.s.
Revenue sharing is commie bs.
Hi Steve Adams,
I appreciate the post but I don’t understand how they came up with the order. Maybe my question is deeper than just this but, what does it resolve?
The Yankees seem to always have the best system regardless of standings while the Padres are perennial losers but have weak systems. Is there some competitive edge the Yankees have in spite of having lower draft picks?.
I have to say that I enjoy the perennial article where Cardinal fans have the chance to get all defensive about the entitlement program. Enjoy your participation trophy
The way the old QO system worked, was it possible for KC to have had 4 picks in the top 30 had MLB not changed its rules on QO’s? I think the rule change was justified but man, that’s a tough break for them.
Im down with dumping this system and making all picks available via trade like every other major sport.
Its just crazy to me how one of those “small revenue teams” managed to hand out the richest contract in baseball history (Miami)
That was Loria over reacting to his perceived image that he was a cheap owner who only cared about his profit.
Loria was a disaster as an owner.
St louis is a small market. Thats why 2 nfl teams left the area. One of the teams left for arizona. Which is one the teams on the list also. St louis just supports their team more than the larger market areas