Today is the deadline for MLB and the Players Association to agree on the details of a new international draft that would supplant the current international signing system.
If there is no agreement today, which appears to be the case unless something drastic and unexpected happens, the current system will remain in place.
ESPN reporter Alden Gonzalez explained the situation in a Twitter thread on Sunday night.
The two sides still seem to be very far apart, by the way. MLBPA remained at $260M on Saturday and still isn’t satisfied with some of the other aspects of the league’s proposal. I don’t see a path for them agreeing tomorrow, but … who knows.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) July 25, 2022
The primary obstacles towards a deal appear to be related to the available pool of money for prospects.
The MLBPA countered MLB’s most recent offer on Saturday, and the league countered again on Sunday in what it’s believed to be their final offer.
A Big Gap To Solve
Entering the weekend, they were about $79 million apart.
Gonzalez explained that “MLB was at $181M (with hard slots) for the top 600 players and the MLBPA was at $260M (with slots acting as minimums).”
MLB moved the aggregate for the top 600 players to $191M, or a $10M increase, with the top overall pick getting $6 million.
Gonzalez says the two sides are still far apart after the weekend.
“MLBPA remained at $260M on Saturday and still isn’t satisfied with some of the other aspects of the league’s proposal. I don’t see a path for them agreeing tomorrow, but … who knows,” he stated.
The league has stated that it sees the current system as corrupt, with lots of scouts and instructors altering the kids’ ages, and a whole lot of shady things in the way.
Players, however, seem to be fine with the current system, and changing it would mean altering a whole structure of academies, coaches, instructors, scouts, and other aspects that has been going on for years.
Stay tuned, because there could be some news soon.
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