2021 MLB Draft Discussion

[BP Joe]

In fairness; Rocker refused to participate in the pre-draft MRI process. This is why the Mets get a comp pick despite pulling their offer from Rocker (you have to make an offer of a certain percentage of the slot to receive a comp pick unless an injury arises in physical and the player did not participate in pre-draft medicals).

Then, the Mets negotiated in good faith. In fact, I believe he was the first agreement announced in the 1st round or maybe the entire draft.

They perform the physical and find an issue. This issue was apparently known by the Rocker camp and not disclosed.

To me, I think the Mets made two mistakes: 1. They should've been willing to take/sign Rocker even with some wear/tear on the arm since he was pitching two weeks prior and throwing well. 2. Taken a guy in the teens who would need a big money deal to sign as a fallback. Someone like Gage Jump etc.

Now, the Mets get pick 11 in a better draft next year, but they have to sign that player since the pick is no longer protected, so it'll be a straight-forward pick most likely rather than BPA. They look bad here and left money to spend in a process that provides clear return on investment.

Also, the perception is similar to the one quoted here which is just bad for a team in a market like New York.

This was my point - the Mets knew this going in and still decided to draft him, i.e. they should have suspected something and demanded to know if there were health issues. It just seems their DD was lacking.

But ya, shame on the Rocker camp for not being honest about an elbow issue if they tried to hide it. Other kids have been drafted high in the past knowing there was impending TJ surgery on the horizon.

 

[Pitcher in the Rye]

This was my point - the Mets knew this going in and still decided to draft him, i.e. they should have suspected something and demanded to know if there were health issues. It just seems their DD was lacking.

But ya, shame on the Rocker camp for not being honest about an elbow issue if they tried to hide it. Other kids have been drafted high in the past knowing there was impending TJ surgery on the horizon.

Boras is a snake. He keeps saying there is nothing wrong with his elbow but the Mets wouldn't back off a player they clearly wanted if there wasn't an issue.

 

[BP Joe]

Boras is a snake. He keeps saying there is nothing wrong with his elbow but the Mets wouldn't back off a player they clearly wanted if there wasn't an issue.

I wondered that myself - they're probably regretting that relationship. Let's see if he has a new agent next go-round.

 

[NC_Canes_11]

I would like to see an effort made in the next CBA to find some middle ground for situations like this. Kumar should be free to sign elsewhere. I don’t think it’ll ever happen bc there are too many factors to consider and it happens so few times.

If both parties acted in good faith (which you can say Kumar’s camp could’ve been more transparent, but overall he seems healthy), fair deal was offered, player listened, and wasn’t saying he didn’t wanna play there etc. and they can’t come to an agreement to not have to sit out a year.

Make teams pay the Mets a % of that slot value and cap what the player can sign for. Make teams pay a luxury tax or have that money hit their payroll for that calendar year or two. Or even take it from their international pool money.

Like I said it’s far too complicated to ever work out and it’s so subjective it would cause an uproar case by case. I just think it’s crazy to make him sit out a full year, in his prime. Would be interesting to see what they could come up with.

 

[BP Joe]

I would like to see an effort made in the next CBA to find some middle ground for situations like this. Kumar should be free to sign elsewhere. I don’t think it’ll ever happen bc there are too many factors to consider and it happens so few times.

If both parties acted in good faith (which you can say Kumar’s camp could’ve been more transparent, but overall he seems healthy), fair deal was offered, player listened, and wasn’t saying he didn’t wanna play there etc. and they can’t come to an agreement to not have to sit out a year.

Make teams pay the Mets a % of that slot value and cap what the player can sign for. Make teams pay a luxury tax or have that money hit their payroll for that calendar year or two. Or even take it from their international pool money.

Like I said it’s far too complicated to ever work out and it’s so subjective it would cause an uproar case by case. I just think it’s crazy to make him sit out a full year, in his prime. Would be interesting to see what they could come up with.

If he had no eligibility left, you raise a valid point (but I think Lance's parenthetical above is the supposed remedy, but it admittedly doesn't give the player many options). I wonder why he isn't simply returning to school like Fabian is doing. Will be interested to hear the speculation around that choice.