Stephen Strasburg and Scott Boras: Ruining Baseball One Contract at a Time

You could see it coming from a mile away. Pair one of the most dominant college pitchers in years with the greediest agent on the planet, and lines are going to be crossed. 

It's something Major League Baseball can hardly afford, especially since we are still caught in the ever-leaking Steroid Era. Everything about baseball—especially muscles and contracts—is now inflating, and it's killing the sport so many of us love.

Yesterday, the Washington Nationals signed No. 1 overall pick Stephen Strasburg to a record $15.1 million contract, far exceeding the $10.5 million contract Mark Prior signed in 2001. We all know how well that one worked out.

The problem with the contract is twofold: One, baseball rookies have the hardest value to predict of any sport, and two, it will increase baseball's already ludicrous contract culture.

Baseball has tried for years to change its contract structure, while preventing the installation of a salary cap. The problem is that guys are still paid so far above their worth, it's scary.

Aaron Cook will make $9 million this year. Nate Robertson makes $7 million, and Bronson Arroyo makes over $10 million.

But there's a problem with the stars as well. We all know about A-Rod and Manny Ramirez's contracts, but Derek Jeter makes $21.6 million, even though the average shortstop makes $4 million a year.

Signing Strasburg to this kind of contract will only increase the demands of next year's free agent crop. If a rookie gets big figures, then why shouldn't a guy with eight major league years under his belt ask for a few million more?

But the main problem is what the contract will do to the MLB rookie salary structure.

Because baseball rookies need to work their way through the minors and don't head right onto the roster like in the NFL or NBA, their contracts are usually tempered. You never really know if a high school kid or college senior will make the transition to wooden bats, better hitters, faster pitching.

There is no LeBron James (don't get me started on Bryce Harper). There are no sure things in baseball, so rookies shouldn't be paid like them.

The Strasburg effect is already being felt. This year, second overall pick Dustin Ackley signed for $9.5 million, the highest ever for a No. 2 pick.

The Indians signed the 15th overall pick, Alex White, to a contract with a $2.25 million bonus—a huge upgrade over any 15th pick and way above the slot recommendation. The Cardinals signed 19th overall pick Shelby Miller to a contract just under $3 million. 

If baseball wants to clean up its image, it needs to worry about more than steroids. It needs to shake the image that it's a game filled with a bunch of overpaid cheaters.

It's got to start with the draft and a clear salary structure. Once you have 22-year-old rookies dictating money allocation, the downhill slope will only get significantly steeper.