By pure luck, the Cleveland Guardians find themselves in the enviable position of possessing the best record in the American League as they prepare to make the No. 1 overall pick in Sunday's Major League Baseball draft in Fort Worth, Texas. However, with no clear consensus on who should be selected first, the Guardians have a difficult decision ahead of them.

Entering the draft lottery with a mere 2% chance at the top pick, the Guardians now have seven months to finalize their choice. While Oregon State's Travis Bazzana and Georgia's Charlie Condon emerge as the two top players, the Guardians are contemplating an alternate route for their selection.

The MLB draft works differently from other professional sports leagues due to its unique disbursement of amateur talent. Each pick in the first 10 rounds is assigned a dollar value, contributing to the team's bonus pool. Teams have the flexibility to spend this money as they please, with a 5% tolerance above the allotted amount. However, this unconventional system opens the door for strategic maneuvering.

In this year's draft, players like Bazzana and Condon may not demand the full slot value of the No. 1 pick, which is $10,570,600. Cleveland could potentially opt for a significantly under-slot deal with a player like West Virginia shortstop JJ Wetherholt. By doing so, they would have extra bonus-pool money to persuade a high school talent to forgo college and sign with the team later in the draft.

Implementing this strategy requires careful distribution of bonus money. Unspent funds would be considered a failure and would not grant teams the advantage of reallocating the money elsewhere. It poses the ultimate question for teams at the top: is it better to have one exceptional prospect or one excellent prospect plus additional talent later in the draft?

The Houston Astros pioneered this approach in 2012, choosing Carlos Correa with the first pick and utilizing leftover money to secure other promising players in subsequent rounds. This strategy has been employed successfully several times since, demonstrating its validity as an option.

It's worth noting that this strategy is not limited to the No. 1 pick. Last year, the Detroit Tigers passed on outfielder Wyatt Langford with the third overall pick, choosing high schooler Max Clark instead. The savings allowed them to offer a more substantial contract to shortstop Kevin McGonigle later in the draft.

Baseball's flexible draft system offers teams the freedom to exercise creativity and adapt to the circumstances of each draft class. This year, with no clear-cut choice at the top, the Guardians are exploring various paths that could disrupt the expected draft order and potentially cause chaos for teams selecting after them, such as the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks.

As the draft approaches, the uncertainty surrounding the Guardians' pick has intensified speculation among baseball enthusiasts. The outcome of their selection will have a ripple effect on the subsequent picks, making the draft night at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth an intriguing and unpredictable event.

The baseball world eagerly awaits the decision of the Cleveland Guardians, who must navigate the complexities and potential chaos of this year's MLB draft.