MLB Proposes Amateur Draft Changes That Would Cut Signing Bonuses by $150 Million and Add International Draft

Major League Baseball proposed a set of amateur-entry changes at a collective bargaining meeting with the MLB Players Association on Thursday that would cut signing bonuses by more than $150 million each year, bar high school players from the domestic draft, and create an international draft for players outside the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, ESPN reported.

The domestic draft would shrink from 20 rounds to 12 hard-slotted rounds, and the amateur signing bonus pool would fall to $200 million, according to the same sources. An international draft of the same length would carry its own $200 million pool, with the first such draft scheduled for late 2027 or early 2028.

Minimum draft ages would rise to 20 for domestic players and to 18 for international players. All draft selections could be traded, but only for the following year’s draft, and teams could not swap consecutive first-round picks. Undrafted players would be limited to a $10,000 signing bonus.

International players who reach a full-season minor-league affiliate would receive a $30,000 bonus, and domestic players could earn the same amount if a club elects to remove them from Rule 5 eligibility after their second season. The draft lottery would be reduced from six selections to four, and competitive-balance picks would be eliminated.

MLB said the changes respond to expanded scholarships, NIL opportunities, revenue sharing, and facility investments that have transformed college baseball.

The league stated its proposal would make most college players eligible one year earlier. The MLB Players Association said the proposals “fall woefully short” and would cost players $1 billion over five years, including $400 million from this year through 2027.