The Yankees drafted a firstbaseman named Ryan Krill in the ninth round, and then signed him for a $5,000 bonus

You probably think there was a mistake in the above headline:

Krill must have signed for $500,000, or at least $50,000, right?

Nope, he got $5,000. Five thousand bucks.

The reason? Krill - who was the 273rd player drafted overall - happened to be a college senior. Yes, he stayed four years in school. He showed loyalty to Michigan State University, where he was a standout lefty slugger.

By staying for the duration, Krill had absolutely no bargaining power in launching his pro career. Once the Yankees drafted him, they could offer him as little money as they deemed fit. His options were to take it or leave it.

Incredible, eh? MLB has it set up so the "rules" don't allow owners to spend unlimited amounts on young prospects. They cap the spending for U.S. amateurs. It's so clean, so perfect... a team would love to offer a kid more money... but - hey - rules are rules.

Now... I can understand why the system put limits into place. It's sickening to think of 17-year-olds getting multi-million dollar contracts. In fact, it's so sickening that we only allow it for Latino players - and usually at age 16. But that's another story.

I think a new rule needs to be installed: When a guy graduates from college, he cannot be drafted and forced to sign with whatever team decides to take a cheap flyer on him.

Ryan Krill - (first Yankee in history to be named for a sea creature?) - should have been allowed to negotiate a deal with the highest bidder. He sure would have done better than $5,000.

The Yankees involvement in this is complicated. They are doing what other teams do. By saving slot money on Krill, they can spend more on kids out of high school, who actually have bargaining powers. Still, it just seems slimy that the richest team in baseball would go so cheap on a player.

It would be nice to think that Ryan Krill gets the same attention, the same shot, as the Yankees recent classes of 16-year-old Latino multi-millionaires. But frankly, it's a joke to think so.