Int. Signings

[Orioles GM]

I think we need to have an international signing period in the offseason. One issue I see is that players who are signed to long deals may be in the majors for just 2 years of these contracts, especially because a lot of them are 16.

Maybe we can create a system where each team has a certain amount of money every year for int. free agents, spereate from the standard $100 mil. We sign int FAs only for bonuses and they become prospects, and when they reach the majors then their clock starts, just like every other prospects. This may even eb something we could do that we restart all of the already signed int. free agents. I know only a few GMs were around to sign them.

Thoughts?

[Royals GM]

That is a very good plan. Then the draft would not have any IFAs? That would work.

[Orioles GM]

Jul 22, 2010 22:37:28 GMT -5 Royals GM said:

That is a very good plan. Then the draft would not have any IFAs? That would work.

Yeah, no int FAs in draft. This makes it more realistic and how it's done in the majors.

[Mets GM]

the only thing i would say is that many people agree that the way they do it in the majors is flawed. what makes international players so different from domestic players that they can sign wherever they want whereas instead of only being allowed to negotiate with the team that drafted them. also, for the most part, top international free agents stand to make a lot more money than drafted players because they have multiple teams bidding for them, thus driving up their cost. look at aroldis chapman. had he been in the rule 4 draft, theres no way hes signing a 30 million dollar contract.

i think the best option would be to have a draft similar to the NBA that incorporates both domestic and international prospects in the draft pool and a team can choose to go either way. that way all amateurs, domestic and international, are on level playing ground.

thats just my two cents, if everyone else disagrees with me than i guess i'd be ok with having a seperate budget for internationals

[Orioles GM]

Jul 22, 2010 23:05:49 GMT -5 Mets GM said:

the only thing i would say is that many people agree that the way they do it in the majors is flawed. what makes international players so different from domestic players that they can sign wherever they want whereas instead of only being allowed to negotiate with the team that drafted them. also, for the most part, top international free agents stand to make a lot more money than drafted players because they have multiple teams bidding for them, thus driving up their cost. look at aroldis chapman. had he been in the rule 4 draft, theres no way hes signing a 30 million dollar contract.

i think the best option would be to have a draft similar to the NBA that incorporates both domestic and international prospects in the draft pool and a team can choose to go either way. that way all amateurs, domestic and international, are on level playing ground.

thats just my two cents, if everyone else disagrees with me than i guess i'd be ok with having a seperate budget for internationals

I still think most are in this league to feel like they are running the team, so making the int. signings the way it is in real life is the best way to go.

[Mets GM]

wait so you're saying that we should have an international signing period as opposed to putting them in the draft to be consistent with how its done in the mlb?

[Orioles GM]

Jul 22, 2010 23:14:08 GMT -5 Mets GM said:

wait so you're saying that we should have an international signing period as opposed to putting them in the draft to be consistent with how its done in the mlb?

Kind of. Just seems like the best way to do it...

[Mets GM]

so if we already made international signings, are we going to have to forfeit them and re-bid on them during the signing period?

[Reds GM]

I think each team should be able to keep 1 or 2 of their signings and letting the rest be forfeited (and of course they would count against their int. budget in the offseason). That would seem more fair than just losing them after making the effort to sign them. I would lean towards 2 or more since there are a number of teams with multiple int. signings.

[Mets GM]

i like that idea

[Rockies GM]

But our international signing period basically follows RL's signing period, correct? So ours begins July 2nd. I think we should do everything just like RL.