Imagine being Ty Haselman, a (now) 22-year-old catcher who was the 1,211th overall player to be selected in the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft by Dodgers out of UCLA but elected not to sign, obviously hoping to improve his draft status in 2020 (and yes, he is the son of former major league catcher and former Dodgers minor league manager Bill Haselman).

Better still, imagine being Garrett Irvin, a (now) 21-year old left-hander who was the 1,217th overall and the very last player to be selected in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox out of Riverside Community College in Riverside, CA but also chose not sign for the same reason.

Barring an absolute miracle and barring record-shattering performances at their respective colleges in 2020 (which now will not happen due to the coronavirus pandemic which has our entire country locked down), neither Haselman nor Irvin will ever play in the major leagues – not ever.

Why, you ask?

It’s not that Haselman and Irvin aren’t good enough at their respective positions, it’s because late Thursday night it was (very) widely reported that Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association had come to an agreement that will limit the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft to five rounds. In other words, unless you are among the top 150 amateur baseball players in the entire world, you will not be drafted – period.

But wait… there’s more!

In addition to the MLB Draft being cut from 40 rounds to only five, the MLB / MLBPA agreement will also see signing bonuses for those lucky enough to be drafted in those five rounds reduced significantly, something that renowned mega agent Scott Boras calls “unconscionable.”

“It’s unconscionable the owners in this climate would reduce the collectively bargained money given to drafted players in the top rounds,” Boras told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required). “I don’t mind them reducing the rounds. That’s not the issue. It’s reducing the payments to those players. To cut their bonuses in this climate and use a pandemic situation in our country as a means to do that, I really find it unconscionable.

“The best players do not deserve to have their bonuses cut,” Boras added. “That’s who you should invest in.”

Although MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the new MLB / MLBPA agreement, much still needs to be done between the two factions. This per the Rosenthal article:

• The deal ensures players will hold final approval on scheduling; the league cannot unilaterally determine how games are played, or when. Both sides say they desire to play as many games as possible. The agreement also allows for the regular season to extend into October, providing 31 more possible dates.
• The postseason might be expanded and played, at least in part, at neutral sites.
• Transactions will be frozen when the deal becomes official. The union and league must agree on the date they can resume.
• Roster sizes are likely to expand at least for the start of the season coming off an abbreviated spring training, the way they did after the players returned from their strike in 1995.

As if baseball fans – and players – don’t already have enough to worry about in these very difficult times.

Stay tuned…

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