The "silver lining" in losing a whole lot of games? The draft pick.

After losing 95 games in 2017, the White Sox turned their misfortune into Nick Madrigal, the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft. In 2018, they lost 100 games and were in position to take Andrew Vaughn with the No. 3 pick in last year's draft. The 89 losses piled up in 2019 have the White Sox slated to add another top talent to the farm system with the No. 11 pick in this summer's draft.

That is, if there even is a draft...

On Wednesday, the AP’s Ronald Blum reported that Major League Baseball is considering "skipping" the 2020 amateur draft and "putting off" the international signing period as the sport remains in an indefinite standstill its effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Blum said the potential moves are "a way to preserve cash" while teams are expected to suffer significantly decreased revenues due to a largely reduced playing schedule, though the league maintains its desire to play as close to a full schedule as possible. According to Blum, signing bonuses for amateur players total about $400 million annually.

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Blum's report covered many other issues that the league and union are facing, including payment for major and minor league players, how to account for service time, schedule and roster rules, performance bonuses, the luxury tax, and revenue sharing.

But one issue that could have the biggest effect is the cancelation of the draft. As White Sox and Cubs fans know, the influx of minor league talent is a critical step in the rebuilding process. And the fact that the White Sox are scheduled to pick 11th overall this year shows not only that they have succeeded in moving on to the next phase of their rebuild, but that other teams are attempting to follow a similar path.

The Cubs certainly made the most of their draft positions during their own rebuild, turning top-10 picks into Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. The Houston Astros chose George Springer and Carlos Correa with their top picks in 2011 and 2012, and used the No. 2 pick in 2015 to draft Alex Bregman.

And as White Sox and Cubs fans also know, rebuilding takes a a long time. Even the White Sox, with their newfound postseason expectations, are just now about to reap the benefits of their aforementioned top draft selections. Madrigal and Vaughn show great promise but have yet to reach the majors. Luis Robert, who still hasn’t played in his first MLB game, was an international signing, which is another area of player acquisition that could be dramatically affected by this ongoing situation.

If the 2020 MLB Draft is canceled, teams’ rebuilding timelines could be prolonged.

This also raises questions for players who were expected to begin their professional careers this year. What does it mean for college seniors who have been stripped of their final season? Will college juniors, who would have been eligible to start their professional careers, be forced to delay them another year? Will high school seniors plotting a jump to the professional ranks be forced to remain amateurs and play at the college level, keeping them away from professional ball for another three seasons? Would the league allow college freshmen to enter the draft in 2021?

And if the 2020 draft is canceled, do teams who lost all those games in 2019 lose the "silver lining" of that premium draft position? Would the draft order in 2021 depend solely on the outcome of the likely shortened 2020 season? Would there be twice as many picks to stock farm systems who missed out on adding an entire year's worth of talent? Would teams be expected to spend the same amount on signing bonuses even though they'd be facing the same financial situation that seems to be driving this discussion in the first place?

Like everything else in baseball, sports and life in general, there are more questions than answers in these unprecedented times.