MLB reportedly proposes drastic overhaul to draft, which would exclude high school players and cut rounds from event
MLB is looking to make drastic changes to the draft. The league introduced a number of new proposals Thursday, which would eliminate high school players from the event, significantly reduce the draft and hold a formal draft for international players, per multiple reports.
Changes to the domestic draft — the one fans watch on MLB Network every July — were first reported by J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Under the new proposal, high-school players would no longer be eligible to put their names in the draft. The earliest players would be eligible for the MLB draft would be following their sophomore year of college, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The proposal, if adopted, could have massive consequences on the future of the sport. Often times, the biggest and best prospects in the game get drafted out of high school. While those picks can sometimes carry massive risk, they also carry massive reward. Alex Rodriguez, Clayton Kershaw, Manny Machado and Mike Trout are just a few examples of players who developed into superstars after being drafted out of high school. Bryce Harper wasn't drafted out of high school, but left early and obtained his GED so he could be drafted at the same age as most high school players.
Under the new proposal, those players would have to wait until after their sophomore year of college to be eligible for the draft. Under the current system, those players were already in the majors around that age. Harper and Machado made their debuts at age 19. Kershaw was 20.
Because of that, all three players were set to hit free agency at early ages, where they were all expected to set salary records, thus raising the cost of future free agents in the sport. MLB increasing the age at which players can get drafted would eliminate that scenario. It could also lead to more multi-sport athletes gravitating away from baseball once they get to college and potentially get more significant NIL offers to play other sports.
Reducing the draft and establishing a hard draft slot system could result in some star players never getting a chance to reach the majors. A number of All-Star and Hall of Fame players have been selected in the draft after Round 12. Some of those names include Albert Pujols, Dave Parker and Ryne Sandberg, among many others. Those types of players may never get a chance to develop under the new policy.
The ability to be drafted out of high school gives MLB a big advantage over other sports. Amateur prospects might opt for a career in baseball based on how early they could start their careers and how much money they could make in the draft. If MLB eliminates that possibility and caps spending, those prospects could find another sport far more enticing — and lucrative — in college.
MLB proposes international draft
The league also proposed a formal international draft Thursday. The league has desired an international draft for years, and also brought up the idea back in 2022, when MLB and the MLBPA engaged in a 99-day lockout.
Under the new proposal, the league would hold an international draft for players 18 years old. It would have "12 hard-slot rounds, with an initial signing bonus pool totaling $200 million for 360 amateur players residing outside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico," sources told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.
League owners have sought an international draft for years as a way to gain cost certainty over international prospects. Under the current system, players can sign with teams at 17. There are some limits on how much a team can spend on a player, but there are no hard slots on international player salaries.
The new proposal would allow an unlimited number of undrafted players to "sign for a maximum of only $10,000 each, while also getting a $30,000 bonus upon graduating to a full-season minor league affiliate," per Gonzalez.
While the current system does have an age limit, teams rarely abide by it. Prospects reportedly agree to handshake deals with teams well before they turn 17. It leads to situations where corruption and pressure can ruin prospects and encourage predatory behavior.
MLB believes an international draft would solve those issues. The MLB Players Association has countered that argument by saying MLB should punish the teams that engage in that type of corruption more severely if the league really cared about handshake deals with teenagers.
The MLBPA called the league’s new draft proposals “flat-out bad for baseball,” saying they would “cripple the next generation of players and damage the future of our game.” The MLBPA claims the proposals would eliminate more than $1 billion from the international and domestic system over the next five years.
MLB, MLBPA still negotiating new CBA
Both proposals come as the league and the MLBPA are attempting to negotiate a new collective-bargaining agreement ahead of a Dec. 1 deadline. Both sides have already traded initial proposals with their demands. MLB is seeking a salary cap. While the players have proposed a salary floor.
While both sides are talking, those negotiations are expected to linger long past that deadline, with a lockout possible, if not expected.
Thursday's draft proposals are another hint that negotiations will likely remain contentious. The players have long opposed both a salary cap and — more recently — an international draft. Both proposals would very likely limit player earnings moving forward, essentially making them non-starters for the union.
