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Would An MLB Salary Scale Be Good?

We recently had a deep discussion over whether the NBA Rookie Salary Scale is bad. Commentators seemed to believe that it is actually a good thing that the scale is in place and that the NFL should mirror it as soon as possible. But what about the MLB? Would it make sense to mandate slotting values, and if so, how deep into the draft? The whole shabang is 50 rounds in length! There are also a myriad of factors that go into the price tag of a player other than the specific overall pick number that gets associated with his name. An example would be the difference in valuation between a high school player and a fifth year college senior.

The Milwaukee Brewers cannot afford to spend as much as the Yankees and Tigers when it comes to signing bonuses. No argument there. The players do not seem to care, though, and since baseball has the strongest union (at least in my opinion), I doubt that the owners are able to implement any bonus ceilings when discussions begin concerning the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement. Even if the owners were able to lay a strong hand down and force the union into accepting a type of salary scale, do you think it would be a positive measure?

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

2 replies on “Would An MLB Salary Scale Be Good?”

This would definitely lead to a decrease in players returning to college. I think that it is a good idea, except the MLB might then consider making players enter the draft to make sure that the players who enter the draft and get drafted do end up signing and playing pro-ball. This will take away the leverage that players and agents have as well.

I agree with Marc on some points but I think a little differently. I believe that if the league were to assign a salary scale for the drafted players, then they would make an better educated decision before deciding to go pro. It would be a benefit to the players and would help them gain value, and ultimately make the MLB better. If slots are assigned by ranking or overall draft number and each slot is given a range or set value that a team can offer than player, the individual players would have some idea of where in the draft they would fall; hence they would be able to get an estimate of how much money they would be making. If a high school seniors knows he is going in the 32nd round, and that round earns an estimate of say 50,000 ( I have no clue of actual contracts for that round that is just a made up number for this example) and he wants to earn a million, then he can decide to go to college for several years until he moves up to the second round where he can reach his ideal contract.
In baseball the big contracts dont go to the rookies that are straight out of High School or college, that only happens in the NFL and the NBA. The MLB develops young players and and they will sometimes not see an MLB field apperence until 5 or so years after they were drafted. I think that slotting for the MLB would definitely benefit the players and the agents and allow them to make wiser decisions regarding their clients and the contracts they want.

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