Detroit Tigers in Trouble with MLB Offices for Overpaying Draft Picks, but is the Heat Justified?

When the Detroit Tigers' pick came around in this year's MLB entry draft, the baseball world held its collective breath. Detroit was picking 27th but one of the draft's elite prospects was still on the board in high school pitching phenom Rick Porcello.

The Tigers pulled the trigger and drafted Porcello because he was too good to pass up. The New Jersey product has been compared by many to Josh Beckett at the same age, another high school pitcher who panned out pretty well.

Porcello would have been a top five pick but the teams ahead of Detroit were scared to death of paying Porcello the type of money he was demanding, as he had signed with baseball superagent Scott Boras, who is known to drive up the prices of his prospects and not give in to low-ball offers of any kind.

But the Tigers knew they had the money to sign him and they were already on good terms with Boras from negotiating with some of his other clients, so they knew they could get the job done.

When Porcello finally signed with Detroit, he had himself a 4-year, $7-million deal and was ready to hit the minors and get going on his path to Comerica Park.
The contract is 1.75 million per year, just over $120,000 less per year than what number-one overall pick David Price of the Devil Rays got despite being taken 26 spots ahead of Porcello.

The problem with all of this is that MLB has an unspoken salary-slotting rule that teams are expected to abide by, keeping the salaries in order and fair depending on where each player is picked.

But Detroit's scouts and managers have a responsibility to draft the best possible talent available, and when it comes right down it, someone had to pick Porcello at some point. If Detroit hadn't taken him, one of their chief competitors in the American League like the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox would have taken him.

And while $7 million seems like a lot compared to other draft picks, it's very reasonable compared to what teams are paying for free agents these days. Tigers scrub Neifi Perez makes $2.5 million per year, while Royals starting pitcher and average player Gil Meche makes $7.4 million per year. The Tigers got a potential ace for a very good price.