NEW YORK _ Pushed by the pandemic, MLB owners drastically altered the MLB Draft, a critical source of talent for every team, so they could pinch proverbial pennies. The draft came and went, five rounds Wednesday and Thursday nights, so now the New York Mets and others will wade into a new unknown and, potentially, a terrific opportunity: an undrafted free agent signing period unlike any other, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern Time Sunday.
Because only 160 players were drafted _ more than 1,000 fewer than normal _ there are a lot of quality amateurs remaining. They can choose which team they want to join, instead of being beholden to the organization that picked them.
But signing bonuses for those players are capped at $20,000 _ about 6% of what pick No. 161 signed for last year. That means some will have multiple offers with identical financial terms.
