Major League Baseball proposed a major overhaul to its draft eligibility system Thursday.
The MLB Players Association promptly blasted the idea.
Under MLB’s proposal as part of the ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations, high school players would no longer be eligible for the draft, with players instead entering only after their sophomore year of college. The league has discussed shortening the draft from 20 rounds to 12 and cutting the bonus pool from $358.7 million to $200 million.
College baseball has become more appealing in recent years, at least in part because of NIL opportunities. In 2021, 115 high school players were drafted. By 2025, that number dropped to 96.
“We believe these changes will strengthen college baseball and deepen fans’ connection to the next generation of Major League stars,” MLB said in a statement. 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.”
The proposal was not popular with the MLBPA.
“Today, MLB made another set of proposals that are flat out bad for baseball, ones that would cripple the next generation of players and damage the future of our game,” the MLBPA wrote in a statement.
“Players remain committed to bargaining in good faith and leaving baseball better than they found it – the league’s proposals fall woefully short.”
It’s just the newest instance of one side offering a proposal and the other side shooting it down. The current CBA between MLB and the MLBPA will expire at the end of this season, and negotiations are in early stages.
However, there is a growing fear of a work stoppage if a deal doesn’t get done.
The Athletic’s Sam Blum recently conducted a survey of 101 current players, and 80 said “yes” when asked if they believed there would be a work stoppage at the end of the year.
The last lockout lasted 99 days, beginning in the winter of 2021 and ending on March 10, 2022.
In that instance, the start of the regular season was pushed back one week, but no regular season games were missed.
The last time games were affected was in the 1994-95 strike, which resulted in the ’94 World Series being canceled.
With all the traction MLB has gotten in recent months, a lockout that could shorten the 2027 season could have major consequences.