Yankees Poised To Screw Small Market Teams Like Pirates, MLB Yawns

The Pittsburgh Pirates have had success internationally thanks to Rene Gayo being able to pull rabbits out of a hat.  Gayo has never had the most money to invest, just the most hustle.

The new CBA changed how much teams could spend internationally, but look out small market Buccos fans, the hometown team is about to get the bone again from their richer big brothers.  There are reports that the New York Yankees are about to spend $12 to $18 million on the international market triggering penalties over $12 million bucks.

A $12 million dollar penalty is monopoly money to New York.  Remember when they traded that Burnett guy and kicked in millions ?

Thanks Yankees

Even if you don’t subscribe to Scout.com you can read all about the Yankees plan as Kiley McDaniel has been all over this story breaking it last month.  McDaniel connects the Bombers to the top international talent as they prepare to crush international spending records come July 2nd.   The Yankees are interested in reloading their farm system.  Of course the Evil Empire won’t do it by sucking for a few years and drafting better players year after year.  No, they will do it the Yankee Way—BUY IT!

If all goes as written, it’s another sad state of affairs for clubs like the Pirates.

Check out the story here including video of some of the best talent available:

The story goes that Major League Baseball put spending limits and penalties in place to try and help the small market franchises.  (Cough, cough) Baseball wanted to reduce spending as well.  So far the changes in the international draft have mostly worked with clubs like the Cubs and Rangers as the exception.  But big market ball clubs like the Yankees can spend right through penalties and if all should go as McDaniel outlines in his articles, in just a few months the Yankees are going to have the very best young talent the market will produce just in time to celebrate with some fireworks.

You know what will happen next right?

The rules will need changed again by MLB.  It sounds like this is the year the Pirates should give Gayo some cash to try and compete, raise the dollar amount the Yankees will need to spend, or perhaps Frank Coonelly can once again be a thorn in the Yankees side and work some kind of miracle to get these rules changed by talking some sense into the braintrust at MLB prior to July.  (Yeh, don’t hold your breath on that)

If the rules are changed after the Yankees blow up the market and an international draft is put in place, McDaniel thinks the following:

"If an international draft is in place for 2015, the Yankees two-year bonus limit penalty would change to losing their first round pick in the international draft for the next two years."

Perhaps the Yankees see the draft coming in 2015 and are going all out to grab as much talent as possible?  It’s a smart way to reload if you’re New York.   We have to wonder if part of the theory for the Yankees is…SO WHAT if we lose our first pick in 2015, when we’ve raped the best talent the international market has had in a long time?    Essentially it would be the final time to grab so much talent for so little expenditure.

Look, we will call a spade a spade.  It’s a smart move by the Yankees. Really smart.  Just like it was smart when the Pirates did their damndest to exploit the amateur draft system which caused so many changes to the system.  Right now the Pirates need to be smart again.  But the only smart move seems to be dumping money into the international market before a draft is instituted.

But it might be too late for such a move.  And as always, does anyone really think Bob Nutting is going to free up millions for Gayo?  We don’t.  Especially since he spent so much time throwing 50 percent discount coupons at A.J. Burnett this offseason.