MLB proposes draft adjustments in latest CBA proposal
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Jun 18, 2026, 14:15 EDTUpdated: Jun 18, 2026, 15:13 EDT
As the 2026 season wears on, so do negotiations between Major League Baseball and MLB Players Association.
The latest proposal isn’t encouraging, to say the least. On Thursday afternoon, multiple sources reported that the owners proposed a new format of the draft, shortening it from 20 rounds to 12 rounds. Not only that, but high school players wouldn’t be eligible to be drafted until after two years of college. Ultimately, this would cut the overall signing bonus pool by $150 million.
The MLB draft is unique to all three other of the big four North American leagues. At one point, there were 50 rounds, and as recently as 2019, there were 40 rounds. But with the pandemic, things changed, dropping to five rounds in 2020, before jumping back up to 20 rounds.
This proposed rule change isn’t bad for the NCAA, as top high school prospects would have to spend two seasons in college, but this rule change takes away opportunity for players. At least they’ll let teams trade draft picks, just not the first-rounder in consecutive years.
One major sticking point that led to a brief off-season lockout during the 2021/22 off-season was an international draft. The two parties continued discussions until July 2022, but nothing came of it. Well, it seems like it’ll be a factor once again.
On top of the proposed changes to the yearly draft, the league proposed an international draft, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. This one would feature 12 rounds, with the minimum age eligibility being 18 or older. Like the other draft, the international draft would have an overall bonus pool of $200 million.
Last time around, the Players Association attempted to negotiate out the qualifying offer, as the loss of a draft pick hinders interests from small market teams. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this aspect of the negotiation.
At the end of the day, the biggest sticking point in this CBA negotiation will be the proposed salary cap. It’s hard to see players agreeing to that.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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