Wednesday was full of controversy between MLB and the Players Association, when the former tried to sneak an international draft in bargaining negotiations when they had said in the past they weren’t going to include it.
Players immediately balked at the idea and they were so determined to walk away from the table if the league kept trying to push the draft to replace the current system that owners had to back off.
Both sides now agreed to leave discussions for later: they established a July 25 deadline to decide.
Francisco Lindor, one of the most prominent voices from the players’ side and a Latin American star himself, tried to clarify the issue.
He tweeted his thoughts on the international draft, urging people to get informed before jumping to conclusions.
Getting The Facts Right
“The discussion of an international draft is about how to divide Players. I’ve been in bargaining sessions for months. I was in Florida. The PA kept us informed about MLB’s proposals, including when the league said the draft was worth nothing and some clubs don’t even want it. The narrative being pushed also ignores a lot of history, including corruption from clubs. This issue is bigger than just Latin players or amateur players. It’s about all players and about the future of the game. We need to get it right,” he said.
If what Lindor is saying is true, and we don’t have any reason to doubt him, it’s a diabolical plan by the league.
The good thing is that players showed their resolve and kept their composure: they didn’t break, and owners had no choice but to keep negotiating without the international draft being discussed.
ESPN reporter Joon Lee said that Lindor “is the most powerful Latin player in the MLBPA and the subtext of this statement is that the Union thinks MLB is trying to create a wedge between domestic and international players through the international draft.”
Lindor is the most powerful Latin player in the MLBPA and the subtext of this statement is that the Union thinks MLB is trying to create a wedge between domestic and international players through the international draft https://t.co/96bSi16hW0
— Joon Lee (@joonlee) March 10, 2022
If the league wanted to divide the union, it failed miserably; and that’s the biggest takeaway.
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