Draft Overhaul Rejected
MLB Players Union Rejects League's Draft Overhaul, Citing Compensation Cuts and Player Rights
Key Points
During the initial round of CBA talks last month, MLB also “formally proposed a salary cap and floor,” which ESPN reports has been a major point of contention with the MLB Players Association.
Under existing MLB draft eligibility rules, players can be drafted directly out of high school, or—if taking the college route—become eligible after completing their junior year (at a four-year school) or upon turning 21; the proposed overhaul would create a “flat eligibility line after a player’s sophomore season,” eliminating high school players from the draft pool.
The MLBPA’s rejection included pointed language: the union said MLB’s plan would be “flat out bad for baseball” and would “cripple the next generation of players,” while also calling it a “den[ial of] young international players the ability to start their professional careers” by “abolishing a full year of international signings.”
MLB’s draft changes would also cut the signing-bonus pool: ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the bonus pool for the first 10 rounds would drop from “$358.7M to $200M.”
MLB framed the move as an upgrade to the college development pathway, pointing to recent growth in scholarships, NIL opportunities, revenue sharing, and facilities/player development; Yahoo Sports also noted scale indicators like 96 high school prospects selected/signed in the 2025 MLB Draft and 140 high schoolers invited to the MLB Combine this season.
The MLB Players Association has rejected Major League Baseball's sweeping proposal to ban high school players from the amateur draft, calling it "flat out bad for baseball" that would "cripple the next generation of players." The plan, formally submitted June 15, would eliminate prep players from the draft starting in 2028 and set a new eligibility floor at age 20 or after a player's sophomore year of college, according to ESPN.
The union's rejection was swift and pointed. MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said the proposal would cut player compensation by hundreds of millions of dollars and "deny young athletes the fundamental right to choose their own career path." The two sides are racing toward a December 1 deadline to replace the current collective bargaining agreement.
MLB Wants to Slash Draft Rounds and Bonus Money
MLB's overhaul goes well beyond draft eligibility. The league also wants to cut the draft from 20 rounds to just 12. More striking, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports the signing-bonus pool for the first 10 rounds would drop from $358.7 million to $200 million — a 44% cut worth roughly $158.7 million per year.
MLB framed the changes as a long-term upgrade. Commissioner Rob Manfred argued the proposal would make players more "major-league ready" by keeping them in school longer. The league also pointed to growing NIL deals, scholarships, revenue sharing, and better facilities as reasons college is now a viable development path, according to Yahoo Sports.
MLBPA Calls the Plan a Cost-Cutting Attack on Young Players
The union sees the proposal differently. The MLBPA says MLB is trying to shift the cost of player development onto college athletic departments — and save more than $150 million a year in the process. The union also accused MLB of creating a system where 18-to-20-year-olds cannot negotiate their professional market value for two extra years, according to On3.
The MLBPA also objected to international players losing rights. Deputy Executive Director Bruce Meyer said the plan would "abolish a full year of international signings," blocking 16- and 17-year-old prospects from signing professional contracts. The union called that a denial of young international players' ability to start their careers.
96 High Schoolers Would Have Been Locked Out Under This Plan
The scale of the change is easy to measure. In 2025, 96 high school players signed professional contracts after being drafted. Under MLB's proposed rules, all 96 would have been barred from doing so. This season, 140 high school prospects were invited to the MLB Combine, according to Yahoo Sports — a group that would be entirely excluded starting in 2028.
GM Today noted that the proposal is part of a broader push by MLB owners that also includes a hard salary cap and salary floor — a move the union labeled a "non-starter" at the first formal CBA session in May. With that fight layered on top of the draft dispute, labor experts warn a December lockout is a real possibility.
College Baseball Could Boom — But Not Equally for All Programs
If every top 18-year-old talent stays in college instead of going pro, rosters get more competitive fast. Roundtable noted that programs like Michigan State could benefit from a deeper pool of elite recruits. Writers and analysts see the overall talent level on college campuses rising sharply under this model.
But smaller programs worry they get left behind. Critics warn that elite prospects would flock to schools with the biggest NIL budgets, creating a gap between powerhouse programs and mid-majors. Youth Sports Business Report noted the changes could reshape the youth baseball pipeline from the ground up — shifting development costs and recruiting battles onto colleges that are not equally equipped to handle them.
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