One of the things we need to understand about negotiations to lift the MLB lockout and create a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is that, before engaging with the other side, both the league and the Players Association need to discuss matters internally.
This process usually takes place after a specific side receives an offer from the other: bargaining means convincing everybody before coming up with a final offer and then presenting it to the other side.
It appears, according to recent reports, that the idea of implementing an international draft is not universally liked in the players’ side.
According to Ken Rosenthal, “international draft (is a) “non-starter” for Latin players and might not be acceptable to union even with major MLB give, sources tell @TheAthletic. Union in latest proposal still wants qualifying offer eliminated, as well as higher CBT thresholds and pre-arb pool than MLB has offered.”
International draft “non-starter” for Latin players and might not be acceptable to union even with major MLB give, sources tell @TheAthletic. Union in latest proposal still wants qualifying offer eliminated, as well as higher CBT thresholds and pre-arb pool than MLB has offered.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 9, 2022
Players Don’t Want The International Free Agent System To Change
The international draft may change the dynamics with which Latin American players get opportunities in minor league baseball and MLB.
However, there are bonuses depending on the draft slot.
It’s unlikely that the league will agree to come closer in their CBT numbers and eliminate the qualifying offer if the players don’t agree to the international draft, but the latter is a relatively new concept in negotiations, and it may take some time to convince players to be fully on board.
By the look of things, however, there appears to be no traction towards a deal on Wednesday: players are not sold on the international draft idea, as some of them, most notably Fernando Tatis Jr., have already made their stances public.
NEXT: Carlos Correa Could Sign A Deal The Moment The Lockout Ends