[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by Cryomaniac

Without a draft, couldn't they just put a limit on signing bonuses and incentives for rookies?

They tried that in the late 1940s and 1950s, the so-called "bonus baby" rules. It didn't work, as clubs constantly found loopholes in the rules or made under-the-table payments.

The follow-up was the "first year player draft" (not to be confused with the amateur draft) where any player, after his first season in the minors, could be drafted by any other major league club unless the player had been advanced to the 40-man roster. The thought was no major league team would pay a high signing bonus to an amateur player if it would be forced to advance him to the 40-man roster after just one season or risk losing him in the draft. It didn't really work either, as many clubs were willing to take the gamble.

The only measure which proved successful in curbing signing bonuses was the amateur draft. It did its job well for almost thirty years. Then, in the early- to mid-1990s, signing bonuses began to march significantly upwards again.

Originally Posted by CBL-Commish

Anyway, at least in baseball, a combination of amateur+experienced player free agency has never been tried.

There's no reason to think it would turn out any differently than it did fifty years ago. Without the amateur draft, clubs with deep pockets will spend whatever they can to lock up promising talent for themselves or to keep it away from other clubs. Heck, even with the restrictions under the current system, some clubs have to draft with an eye to affordability rather that talent.

Originally Posted by CBL-Commish

Yes, the union has always been willing to throw future players under the bus to benefit current players, and management would have no problem with that at all.

And yet, curiously, it's the MLBPA which has been steadfastly against any sort of official signing bonus slotting system. It accepts the current slotting system because it is unofficial, and major league clubs often tend to ignore the bonus payment size recommendation the Commissioner's office assigns to draft positions.

The only class of player the MLBPA really tends to ignore are those actually playing in the minors. If you're an amateur entering the draft, or have reached the major leagues for at least some length of time, the union will fight for rules to benefit you. Once you're in the minors, however, you're an apprentice and your benefits are few unless you actually reach the major league level.