The race to the top

[The Great Goemon]

I cannot imagine the Pirates having 6 more wins than ANY team the rest of the way.

[TarentumTwin]

MLBTR is now running a Reverse Standings link to show teams' rank for the 2011 Draft.

With a month to go, the Bucs have a comfortable five game lead over Baltimore with no hint of relinquishing.

Here's the link:http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/reversestandings/

[SpeedyG]

It would be a colossal collapse if we relinquish the lead now.  Like a New York Mets type of a collapse.

[IABucFan]

Bucs better be careful.  The lead is down to 3.5.

[kansasfan]

The Bucs picked up another game in the standings today!  4.5 game lead now.

[mouse]

Don't be getting too excited just yet. The Birds play the Yankees next while we only face whoever it is we face. I look at this next stretch as an epic struggle -- the pure and awesome talent of the Yankees versus the understated genius of JR. I predict there will be blinking, I'm just not sure where.

[EJP]

Another loss and another O's win.  Back to 5.5 game "lead."  Now we just have to hope MLB fixes the ridiculous wait until an hour before the deadline to approve above slot bonus strategy.   Then we can just sign Rendon by the beginning of July to an $8 million, major league deal and get him a couple months in the minors.

[IABucFan]

At the very least, MLB should do away with that for first-rounders.  If they want to stick with it for later, over-slot deals, then fine.  I'm not a fan, but whatever.  It doesn't keep costs down and all it really does is cost a number of talented young men an extra season in the minors.

[SpeedyG]

Another loss and another O's win.  Back to 5.5 game "lead."  Now we just have to hope MLB fixes the ridiculous wait until an hour before the deadline to approve above slot bonus strategy.   Then we can just sign Rendon by the beginning of July to an $8 million, major league deal and get him a couple months in the minors.

Is this what the problem is?

I always assumed it was just the agents of the players that figured they would have more leverage if there was a hard deadline.

[IABucFan]

well, there's some of that too, I suppose.  But, I imagine that most of the time the agents know how much their guy is going to get.  I bet most kids drafted in the first round would rather get right to playing were it not for the ridiculous system MLB has in place.  I doubt very seriously that Taillon, Harper, Machado, Strasburg last year, Alvarez before that, whoever else, got one dime more for signing right at the deadline that if they would have signed a week earlier.  Heck, given that the holding out costs a year, I bet many teams might be willing to give you more to sing EARLIER instead of later.  But, year, really, it's MLB.

[GoBucs21]

well, there's some of that too, I suppose.  But, I imagine that most of the time the agents know how much their guy is going to get.  I bet most kids drafted in the first round would rather get right to playing were it not for the ridiculous system MLB has in place.  I doubt very seriously that Taillon, Harper, Machado, Strasburg last year, Alvarez before that, whoever else, got one dime more for signing right at the deadline that if they would have signed a week earlier.  Heck, given that the holding out costs a year, I bet many teams might be willing to give you more to sing EARLIER instead of later.  But, year, really, it's MLB.

I can't say about the others but I know Strasburg wanted to get started playing.  Everything I'm hearing about Harper, and its about the only good thing, is that Harper wanted to start playing right away.

The agents started this wait until the last minute crap.  This year, the teams and the league played along.  The solution is real easy.  Simply shorten the negotiation period to mid or late July.  If that's not enough time for the teams, make the signing period for the first 10 rounds mid or late July and keep it the same for everyone drafted after the 10th round.

[DocJon49]

well, there's some of that too, I suppose.  But, I imagine that most of the time the agents know how much their guy is going to get.  I bet most kids drafted in the first round would rather get right to playing were it not for the ridiculous system MLB has in place.  I doubt very seriously that Taillon, Harper, Machado, Strasburg last year, Alvarez before that, whoever else, got one dime more for signing right at the deadline that if they would have signed a week earlier.  Heck, given that the holding out costs a year, I bet many teams might be willing to give you more to sing EARLIER instead of later.  But, year, really, it's MLB.

I like your thinking, but didn't Alvarez get more money because of that deadline SNAFU?  The contract was mostly just restructured, as I recall, but I thought he got a couple hundred grand more as well. (Googles. . . ) Ah, here it is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Alvarez_%28baseball%29#Professional_career

Looks like another 400,000 at first glance. One could say it worked for him. I'd like to see them move up the signing deadline some, as folks could still play their brinkmanship games while maybe getting the players some instruction before the end of the season.

[mouse]

It's the hard deadline that is the key. As I recall, the team was offering Alverez something close to slot until a few days before the deadline (and Boras was asking for much more). Until there is a deadline, sides don't really get together. I would suggest somewhere in the July 1 to July 15 range, though. Any later and you run into the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and teams don't have time to think about both issues at the same time.

[bradlej31]

nice article co-written by Pat Lackey who "where have you gone andy van slyke?" blog was an old favorite


http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/09/03/the-starting-rotation-better-or-worst-for-pirates-orioles/

[Steve Zielinski]

9.6

Pirates win, but the Orioles kicked the crap out of the Yankees! All is good.