MLB Proposes Major Draft Overhaul in CBA Talks, Including Eliminating High School Eligibility

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association met on Thursday to continue negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement. During the latest talks, MLB proposed sweeping changes to the amateur talent acquisition process, one that would shorten the draft, tie signing bonuses to a hard slot value, establish an international draft, and more.

"Over the last several years, college baseball has undergone a remarkable transformation," MLB said in a statement. "Expanded scholarships, NIL opportunities, revenue sharing and significant investments in facilities and player development have made college baseball an increasingly important pathway that is producing major league-ready talent at an accelerated rate. Today's top programs provide players with resources, competition and national exposure that were unimaginable a decade ago. Our proposal is designed to build on that momentum to benefit the game at the college, minor-league and major-league levels. By creating a draft system centered around college-aged players and making most college players eligible one year earlier, more players will benefit from both a college education and an elite development environment while reaching professional baseball -- and ultimately the major leagues -- more quickly. We believe these changes will strengthen college baseball and deepen fans' connection to the next generation of major league stars. We look forward to working with the MLBPA throughout the bargaining process to modernize the domestic amateur system in a way that benefits players, clubs, and fans."

Several of MLB's proposed changes to the game's amateur talent acquisition system have either been proposed in the past or were rumored to be on the league's wish list. Here are the major points of MLB's proposal, via Baseball America and ESPN .

Draft eligibility

High school players would no longer be eligible for the domestic amateur draft, and college players would be draft-eligible at age 20. That would be after the sophomore season for most players. Currently, high school graduates are eligible for the draft, as are college players at age 21 (after the junior season for most). Colleges would win big under this proposal because the top high school players typically wind up in professional baseball. So many of the game's greats reached the big leagues as 19- and 20-year-olds (like Konnor Griffin earlier this year and Bryce Harper and Mike Trout previously), and that would no longer be possible under MLB's proposed draft system. Also, it could push top amateur athletes to other sports because there are only so many college baseball scholarships available each year and almost every other sport offers its top stars the opportunity to get paid well far earlier than MLB.

Draft process

MLB proposed cutting the draft from its current 20 rounds to 12 rounds. The draft has been shortened many times over the years. It was 50 rounds as recently as 2011 and 40 rounds as recently as 2019. The draft was shortened to 20 rounds in 2021 (the 2020 Draft was limited to five rounds during the pandemic). MLB also proposed allowing teams to trade next year's draft picks and using the lottery to set the top four selections. Currently, only competitive balance draft picks can be traded (there are 14-15 of those per year), and the lottery sets the top six picks.

The league also proposed a $200 million hard bonus system in which players are paid according to their draft position with no room to negotiate. For example, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft is slotted for $11,350,600, but the player taken with that pick can negotiate a different number (which frequently happens). Draft spending exceeded $400 million last year, so shortening the draft and applying the hard bonus cap would significantly cut costs for teams. Teams have not spent $200 million or less in the draft since 2010.

International draft

Players born outside the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico are subject to the annual draft every season. Players born anywhere else in the world are free agents who can pick their team as amateurs. Each team is given a set bonus pool to spend on international players each year. It is a hard cap, though teams can distribute their bonus pool however they choose. Several players receive seven-figure bonuses every international signing period and dozens receive six-figure bonuses.

MLB proposed implementing an international draft structured similarly to the domestic amateur draft, meaning $200 million in bonuses. Teams would also be allowed to sign an unlimited number of undrafted players to $10,000 bonuses. To be eligible to sign, international players must be 17 on Sept. 1 under the current international free agency system. MLB's proposal would push that back one year and require players to be 18 by Sept. 1 to be eligible for that year's international draft.

The MLBPA has long opposed an international draft because it takes agency away from the player. Players would no longer be able to choose their team and negotiate a bonus. There is also a competitive balance component. Do the worst teams get the highest picks in the domestic draft and the international draft every year? The best international players often go to the highest bidder now. Teams have to compete for them. A draft would eliminate that and put all the power back with the teams.

The current CBA is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. MLB and the MLBPA are still very early in the negotiating process and these early proposals are wish lists as much as anything. The league is laying out everything it wants, then negotiates from there.

Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-draft-proposal-high-school-international-cba-negotiations/)._