It’s been quite the 24 hour period in Major League Baseball. A time frame that saw the Houston Astros organization get hit with severe penalties following their sign-stealing scandal. One of the penalties will benefit the other 29 teams in the upcoming MLB Draft.
Houston’s Draft Pick Penalty Adds Changes to Upcoming MLB Draft
From the bombshell of the five penalties handed down by commissioner Rob Manfred and his office comes a rippling of effects. One of the five penalties included the forfeiture of first and second-round picks in both 2020 and 2021. While that adds to the negativity surrounding the Astros organization, it’s anything but for other teams when it comes to the upcoming drafts for all other teams.
The Breakdown
To adjust for the elimination of two draft picks from the upcoming 2020 draft, MLB will simply move everyone else’s picks up. That means that Houston’s first-round pick will now go to Baltimore’s competitive balance pick. That pick was slated to be the pick after the Astros. Every other slot will also move up.
The loss of two draft picks, in general, will also help out from the dollars and cents standpoint. While the valuations for the 2020 draft have not been released yet, we could see similarities to that of 2019. That bodes well for the rest of the MLB. Last year the difference between the 30th and 31st pick was $53,500. Ultimately, that means that everyone except for the Astros will be receiving a little more money to spend in the draft.
The effects of the missing draft picks will effect the top ten rounds most. Those top-ten rounds are now missing two spots. Last year, those slots were worth just over $142,000 a piece. Overall, teams are now allowed to spend up to $125,000 for post-tenth round picks without affecting their bonus pool. That means that MLB as a whole will have roughly $35,000 less to spend on the 2020 draft as a whole.
A Different Looking Draft
The 2020 draft was already going to field a different feel thanks to a location and time change. Now, things will change even more, further adding an interesting wrinkle into the mix. It’s a change that has and will continue to stem from the blunders of the Houston Astros. While it may not seem like an awful lot to some, it means more than most to Houston. An organization that has prided itself on homegrown talent will now have a more difficult time repeating the efforts in years to come.
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