MLB international draft plan rejected

The players’ association rejected what Major League Baseball called its final offer for an international draft, a move that will keep direct draft-pick compensation in place for free agents and likely limit the market for some older players. The union announced its decision about eight hours before Monday’s deadline for an agreement. “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 union said in a statement. “The league’s responses fell well short of anything players could consider a fair deal.” The decision keeps in place until December 2026 a system of qualifying offers for free agents that began in 2012. A club can make a qualifying offer following the World Series to a free agent who has been with the team since opening day, a one-year contract for the average of the top 125 deals by average annual value. If a player rejects a qualifying offer and signs elsewhere, the signing team is subject to a loss of one or two amateur draft picks and a reduction in international signing bonus pool allotment.