On the night of the MLB Draft, a lot is made of the life-changing money that's about to enter the lives of that year's draft class. And yes, that draft night bonus money is substantial—the Orioles own the first pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, and the average slot value for that pick is over $8M—that money may end up being the bulk of their compensation for the following decade.
Baseball's financial system is broken. Teams have the incentive to hold the game's most exciting young players down in the minors for as long as possible, all to accrue an extra year of financial control over the player. (Meaning, another year in which to compensate the player less than they are worth). Fantastic MLB players like Dallas Keuchel sit at home as owners take advantage of the arcane financial structure of roster management. As television money continues to flow into baseball and team values rise, the players aren't getting their fair share of the revenues. A strike is seemingly unavoidable.