Major League Baseball has proposed a major overhaul to how teams acquire amateur-entry and international players in its latest CBA proposal.
The proposal includes:
• No eligibility for domestic high school or prep players, minimum age 20 years old. • A 12-round international draft, minimum age 18 years old. • Reducing the MLB Draft to a hard-slotted 12 rounds. • Draft picks can be traded, in the following year's draft only. • Draft lottery pick reduction from six to four.
The league explained it reasoning in a statement, saying, "Over the last several years, college baseball has undergone a remarkable transformation. 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."
My take: Yes, yes, and yes. All the yesses. Go big or go home. This would be massive for college baseball, give teams fair opportunities to acquire international players, give undrafted players the ability to pick teams of their choice. Trading draft picks makes sense. If the cap applies equally to all teams, so should amateur talent acquisition.
THE ASYLUM
MLB: Major amateur-entry overhaul
Major League Baseball has proposed a major overhaul to how teams acquire amateur-entry and international players in its latest CBA proposal.
The proposal includes:
• No eligibility for domestic high school or prep players, minimum age 20 years old.
• A 12-round international draft, minimum age 18 years old.
• Reducing the MLB Draft to a hard-slotted 12 rounds.
• Draft picks can be traded, in the following year's draft only.
• Draft lottery pick reduction from six to four.
The league explained it reasoning in a statement, saying, "Over the last several years, college baseball has undergone a remarkable transformation. 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."
My take: Yes, yes, and yes. All the yesses. Go big or go home. This would be massive for college baseball, give teams fair opportunities to acquire international players, give undrafted players the ability to pick teams of their choice. Trading draft picks makes sense. If the cap applies equally to all teams, so should amateur talent acquisition.
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