MLBPA rejects international draft

The Major League Baseball Players Association rejected MLB’s final proposal to organize a draft for international players ahead of Monday’s midnight ET deadline.

When the two sides settled their 99-day lockout in March, among the compromises was to continue discussing the idea of an international draft. They set Monday as the cutoff to come to an agreement.

“Players made clear from the outset that any international draft must meaningfully improve the status quo for those players and not unfairly discriminate between those players and domestic entrants,” the MLBPA said in a statement. “To this end the Players Association made a series of proposals aimed at protecting and advancing the rights of international amateurs.

“At their core, each of our proposals was focused on protecting against the scenario that all players fear the most — the erosion of our game on the world stage, with international players becoming the latest victim in baseball’s prioritization of efficiency over fundamental fairness. The league’s responses fell well short of anything players could consider a fair deal.”

Had the sides agreed to an international draft, it would have been for prospects from outside the US, Canada and Puerto Rico and would have begun in 2024. Players from the US, Canada and Puerto Rico are included in the league’s current annual draft.

An initial MLB offer called for $181 million to be spent each year on international players who were drafted, while the MLBPA was in search of at least $260 million for the 600 players that would be selected on an annual basis.