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Before winter turns to spring and baseball regains popularity, Major League Baseball is opening the door to hundreds of new minor league players through the start of the 2023 international contract period beginning Sunday, January 1, 2023. When opened, it once again flaunts its global flavor. 15. Announcing these deals is usually straightforward, but the behind-the-scenes negotiations of deals with teen baseball players are far more complicated than waiting for the ink to dry. Let’s find out what the international contract term is, why it exists, and how it has impacted baseball.
Who opened the door for MLB teams to sign international amateurs?
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been at the forefront of accepting scouts in Latin America thanks to Ralph Avila, grandfather of former MLB catcher Alex Avila and father of former Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila. Ralph Avila was tasked by Dodgers general manager Al Campanis in the 1970s to scout baseball talent in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic was not the hotbed of baseball as it is known today. According to his ESPN article on Avila, he was the only 24 Dominican to reach the majors between 1956 and his 1970. In 2022 alone, his 32 from the Dominican Republic made his MLB debut.
Campanis followed his hunch and Avila discovered Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, eventual Rookie of the Year Raul Mondesi and more. Avila has mentored Dominican youth abroad to improve the talent emerging from the country. He and his Dominican legend, Epy Guerrero, are also pioneers in creating team his academy in DR and the Dominican Summer League. Other his MLB teams quickly followed the Dodgers’ lead.
The Reds and Diamondbacks play the Dominican Summer League in Baseball City, Dominican Republic. (C. Trent Rosecrans / athletic)
Who is eligible to sign?
Any amateur player aged 16 or older who resides outside the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico and who has not attended high school in an MLB Draft country in the past year (players from the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico are eligible for the MLB Draft). A player must be 17 years old by 1 September 2023 Must be born between August 31st). Usually the majority of players signed at this point come from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba. Often young Venezuelan and Cuban players complete his training amateurs in the Dominican Republic, making this island nation’s baseball trainer arguably the most important player in the international signing ecosystem.
What is the deadline for signing players during the period?
The deadline for signatures is December 15, ie one month before the next international signature period begins. Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, his annual signing period began on July 2nd and ended on June 2nd for him the following year.
Most teams have already allocated most of their bonus money by the time the period begins. As such, it’s common for teams to announce nearly the entire signing class on the start date of the period or a few days after the period.
Are there any issues with this system?
Many trainers in the Dominican Republic believe the signing system is distorted.Trainers who prefer MLB to implement the international draft say the current signing system means many talented teenagers will not be signed. They also believe that a plethora of early verbal agreements with players is harming the development of Dominican teens. Current methods of locking players into early contracts — most often two years before signing date, but tend to be earlier to the point where pre-signing term agreements with 12-year-old players are made — is to get trainers to let go of the late bloomers who are older than the typical 16- or 17-year-old who get pre-teens into training programs and get big bonuses.
Deeper
All the details of the international draft proposals from MLB, MLBPA
What is the bonus pool and when is it set?
Until 2012, when MLB introduced its salary bonus pool system, there was no cap on a team’s international spending. Teams were able to exceed their bonus pool quota but were penalized with a luxury tax.In addition, depending on how much the team exceeded its quota, the team would be eligible for individual Limits have been placed on the size of bonuses that can be offered to players. That changed when MLB introduced a hard cap on international spending in its 2017-21 collective bargaining agreement.
The pool of teams in a given year can grow or shrink depending on whether they are part of the pool of teams receiving competitive balanced picks in drafts, trades, penalties, and other deals.MLB entered into a new collective bargaining agreement in 2022, but the previous CBA system was carried over for the 2022 and 2023 signing periods.
In November 2017, MLB banned former Braves general manager John Coppolella for life after his team was found guilty of a string of offenses in international markets. The league has voided the contracts of 10 or more players signed by the Braves, barred the signing of two high-profile players the team was expected to sign, and allowed the club to win an international contract during its three contract periods. We have imposed strict limits on the amount of money you can spend on Coppolella.
How much can a team spend?
This year’s bonus pool is between $4.14 million and $6.37 million. The Dodgers and Rangers are the least spenders, while the A’s, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Tigers and Twins are the most spenders.
$6,366,900: A, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Tigers, Twins
$5,825,500: Diamondbacks, Guardians, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rockies, Royals
$5,284,000: Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Mets, Nationals, White Sox, Yankees
$4,644,000: Angels, Phillies, Red Sox
$4,144,000: Dodgers, Rangers
Teams can overspend if they sign players for $10,000 or less. These small bonuses do not count towards the overall bonus pool.
(Photo above: Andy Nelson/The Christian Science Monitor/Getty Images)
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