MLB and the Players Association stayed up late on Tuesday, negotiating the details of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
They appear to have made major strides in the competitive balance tax (CBT) and at least some advances in the bonus pool money for pre-arbitration players.
The major holdups for a deal, right now, appear to be linked with the league’s intentions to implement an international draft.
“The International Draft has been a sticking point all day in negotiations with players, ex-players, executives and agents weighing in and providing their input,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted late into the night.
The International Draft has been a sticking point all day in negotiations with players, ex-players, executives and agents weighing in and providing their input.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 9, 2022
Indeed, MLB wants a draft to replace the current system to sign international, amateur free agents.
Explaining The International Draft, Bonuses, And Reactions
According to Maria Torres of The Athletic, there will be a similar bonus system like in the MLB Draft.
“In MLB’s current proposal for an intnl draft, the top pick in a 20-round draft would receive $5.5M (up from $5.25M in prev proposal; comparable to ’21 slot value for the 7th pick in domestic draft),” she reported.
In MLB’s current proposal for an intnl draft, the top pick in a 20-round draft would receive $5.5M (up from $5.25M in prev proposal; comparable to ’21 slot value for the 7th pick in domestic draft), sources tell me and @Ken_Rosenthal
— Maria Torres (@maria_torres3) March 9, 2022
The league, per Torres, calculates there will be an increase of $23 million in international spending (up from $13-15 million in prev proposal) compared to $166 million spent internationally in 20-21.
Torres stated that a 20-round draft would feature slots totaling $181 million.
Some current and former players, most notably Fernando Tatis Jr. and David Ortiz, have resisted the change, saying that it would take away some opportunities from young players dreaming of a career in baseball.
Ortiz’s concerns are linked to the quick implementation of the new system and not with the draft per se.
In any case, until the two sides don’t agree on the international draft details, there will be no CBA deal.
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