I heard on MLB network that one solution to the service time issue that the League proposed was "Age Based Free Agency"
I started to think of the potential impact, both intentional and unintentional of this on the draft from a draftee perspective. Here's what I got. What do you folks think?
High school players - this would probably result in more HS kids getting drafted as teams would have control longer. This could have the consequence of depressing signing bonuses even for HS players as the College option is less attractive (the union doesn't care about this, so would be a win-win for the league and the union). On the other hand, more bonus pool money could be available for HS players (read more below).
College Juniors - The leverage and of returning to college for the 4th year would be reduced and likely reduce signing bonuses. This could increase the amount of the bonus pool available for HS players.
College Seniors - the bonuses for college seniors would be depressed even more for college seniors. This could increase the amount of the bonus pool available for HS players.
Juco - one year Juco players are probably the least affected by this change.
Overall, I seems like to me that the HS kids that actually want to sign would be the winners here, while the college route is less appealing. The incentive to reclass would be reduced as a premium would be placed on kids 17 yo HS players. All these things considered, the studs will still get hearty signing bonuses.