MLB draft.....

Jayson Stark thinks the MLB draft is broken. Sigh. I suppose.

Look. Here's the thing. The draft in the MLB isn't like the draft in the NFL or the NBA. Those guys that get drafted in the MLB don't go straight into the big league lineup. They aren't instantly worth 15 wins. And the draft is a lot about luck. Here. Here. Whatever. (That 2002 draft was ridiculous in terms of major league first round talent).

Also, in the NFL and the NBA teams have much more data on how good the players really are. The MLB doesn't get that. So, its not like even the richest teams can afford to simply throw money at the draft because in all likelihood, they're just wasting it. Which is okay with me. And if the Nationals wish they could trade Strasburg, too bad. I am okay with that because, once again, there's no need to get four draft picks because its not like you can infuse your ML team with talent right now. (Like, the Detroit Lions needed to do).

I mean, which team would ever want to MOVE UP in the MLB draft? I mean, why? What with the history of burnouts, wouldn't teams want to simply move down to the first or second round and horde draft picks in the hopes that one (or a few) turn out to be stars? What team wouldn't do that? Its not like in football where there is limited roster space. Oh and another thing. In the MLB, teams can trade players for CASH CONSIDERATIONS. Which could lead a team like the Pirates to simply sell their top picks and get like third or fourth round picks in return. Do we want that? Really? I sure as shit don't. I really really really don't ever want to see my Padres sell a draft pick. And if I were a Yankees fan, I would feel a little disgusted if my team were able to buy all the best players before they were good and after they were good too and we just won every year.

Look. The whole fun of baseball is watching teams (Other than your team, hopefully) making really stupid money decisions. Its a blast watching the Mariners lose 100 games with a payroll in the billions. Its great to watch the Yankees miss the playoffs. My heart warms when I watch the Tigers and Whitesox play. I mean baseball isn't fair because you guys have more money to sign better players but you're so stupid I guess it is kind of fair. Right? The draft is one more great spot for teams to be stupid. And I like that. Lets leave it alone.

Also, there's no way the Nationals are paying a $50 million signing bonus. No way. Last year's top bonus was like $6 million (Still a lot). That would be a rise by a factor of 8. This is Boras being Boras and he's losing a lot of his luster.