If scouts didn’t already think their job was hard enough, thanks to the new CBA it just got harder and the days of snagging prospects like Phillip Evans in the 15th round are coming to an end.
The new rules assign teams with a “bonus pool” that they are allowed to use on their draft picks. Should they exceed that pool by up to 5% then they have to pay a 75% tax on the overage. If they exceed the pool by 5-10% then they have to pay the 75% tax and forfeit a first round pick. For 10-15% over the pool they pay a 100% tax and lose a first and second round pick. Finally if a team exceeds the pool by more than 15% they pay a 100% tax and lose two first round picks.
This is a very steep price to pay and will prevent those late round bonuses that teams love to use to rejuvenate their system. It also adds a heavier emphasis on scouting by forcing scouts to find even more “hidden gems” to sign for low bonuses since their teams will not be able to draft high bonus prospects in volume anymore.
Jim Callis put together a listing of each team’s draft pool for the 2012 draft and the Mets have $7,151,400 million to spend. It is the ninth highest allotted mount to be spend.
The Mets spend $6,782,500 on the draft last year, but have an additional pick in the top 10 rounds—2nd round as compensation for Jose Reyes—that will require a decent bonus.
It will be fun to see how this new system plays out.
