Pirates Present Test Case For Draft's Rules

There are things in here I don't agree with at all -- for example, I don't think there's any chance the Pirates will think about their won-loss record this year and consider whether to break the bank, sign Mark Appel for way over the slot recommendation, and forfeit their first-round pick next year. Nor should they. But this is an interesting take on the draft spending rules from a mainstream source. The author describes the pros and cons of failing to sign Appel and taking an extra pick into next year's draft, sort of like an NFL team trading a pick this year for