MLB draft changes could hurt Cubs’ plans

Unlike the NFL and NBA, there will be no work stoppage in Major League Baseball when the CBA expires on Dec. 11.

In fact, outside of drug testing tweaks there’s really only one major issue to discuss, and that’s the MLB draft.

Major changes may be coming, none bigger than the slotting of salaries or the ability to trade draft picks, which a baseball source says could be added to the draft as early as next year.

The two sides have been quietly negotiating a new CBA for months in an attempt to get something done by the winter meetings, and major alterations could directly affect a team like the Cubs, who spent $20 million on the 2011 draft and international signings in an attempt to quickly rebuild.

If the Cubs were able to put together three or four years of that kind of development spending, they might be able to dig out of the payroll hole they’ve been in the last few years.

But the Cubs may not get the chance.

There’s discussion of a worldwide draft, which would eliminate the signing of free agents from countries such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela and Japan, instead adding those players to the draft.

There’s also the possibility of slotting, to which many high-profile agents will be forever opposed.

The Cubs were able to draft and sign several players this year that the rest of baseball passed on because the players were considered unsignable or already had committed to a university.

The Cubs gave 14th-round high school pitcher Dillon Maples first-round money ($2.5 million) because he’s got first-round talent.

Maples, a righty who throws 97 mph, fell to the 14th round because he already had reported to North Carolina as a punter/kicker, but Tom Ricketts encouraged Jim Hendry and scouting director Tim Wilken to take Maples and to be aggressive.

An exuberant Wilken said after the signing deadline that he’d like the chance to do it again and Ricketts indicated he might spend wildly next year, too.

But Wilken doesn’t know whether he’ll be here or what the changes will be to the draft process.

If “hard slotting’’ of picks were a part of the draft, or some version of the NBA or NFL system that capped dollars for teams, rounds or specific selections, the Cubs could no longer overspend to get the players they want.

Another huge change might be the trading of draft picks, either before the draft, during the draft or even after a player is taken.

As it stands now, teams can’t trade picks and they can’t trade a drafted player for a year after the selection.

Not all these alterations will take place at once, but it’s not unreasonable to think the union may allow for the trading of picks and a worldwide draft, while holding on to a system in which teams can pay picks whatever they can afford.

But slotting would allow teams to trade down or perhaps trade that pick for an established major-league player, a prospect and maybe even cash.

That’s a better deal for small-market teams than simply passing on the best players because they can’t pay them.

The draft, in theory, is supposed to allow the worst teams to pick the best players, and that doesn’t occur under the current rules.

A perfect example is 2004 when the Padres had the No. 1 pick but had to pass on Justin Verlander (No. 2), Jered Weaver (No. 12) and Stephen Drew (No. 15) because of the large bonuses they sought and received, and instead took shortstop Matt Bush, who’s now pitching in the minor leagues.

If the Padres could have moved that pick to one of the rich clubs, they probably would have gotten something substantial.

You can also envision a team in a pennant race trading a first-round pick in June to an also-ran while getting in return a player who can help immediately.

That gives the bad teams a chance to restock, gives the contenders another chip to play and makes the draft more interesting for baseball fans who pay almost no attention to the MLB draft, especially compared to the NFL or NBA.

Right now the system doesn’t work for the bottom feeders, who are supposed to but don’t benefit from drafting high if they can’t afford to select that high.

In order to rebuild and compete, those teams need slotting, a worldwide draft and the ability to trade picks, but probably won’t get it all at once.

Changes are coming to the draft. Be certain of that. Now, it’s just a matter of how soon and how much.

ŸListen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score#146;s #147;Hit and Run#148; show at WSCR 670-AM. Follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.