Slimmed-down MLB draft will air on ESPN, ESPN2 on June 10
Watching teenagers answer a Zoom call isn't exactly live sports, but ESPN will take what it can get.
Major League Baseball announced the 2020 MLB Draft first round will air June 10 on ESPN, then finish the dramatically reduced draft the following day on ESPN 2. MLB Network, which had previously served as the exclusive TV home in recent years, will co-air on both days.
Originally set to be held in Omaha, Neb., — the site of the 2020 Men's College World Series — but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league will hold a virtual draft instead, with teams using video conferences to make and announce selections.
Typically a 40-round endeavor, the first-year player draft was chopped to five rounds to account for significant drops in revenue due to the ongoing suspension of the season.
Amateurs who aren't selected can sign with teams as undrafted free agents, with bonuses capped at $20,000 — far below the typical payout in the early and middle rounds.
For context: in 2019, sixthround picks had slot bonus values between $237,000 to $301,600. There's no sixth round this year, so high-level college and high school talents that don't make the new cutoff stand to lose the most from entering the draft this year.
The amateur talent drain could extend into the next year, as some MLB teams decided against paying their minor leaguers through the would-be minor league season. Other franchises, including the Mets, released some of their talent pool into free agency.