MLB Owners Seek $200 Million Amateur Bonus Pool, 12-Round Draft in CBA Push

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 18

$200 million is the amateur bonus pool MLB owners want under a draft overhaul that would cut the current 20-round format to 12 rounds and fold international amateurs into the same system.
The proposal would also bar high school players from immediate draft entry, require domestic amateurs to be 20 and two years out of high school, and raise international eligibility to 18.
Owners would save about $400 million in the first year by skipping one international class, then roughly $200 million annually afterward—about $1.6 billion over seven years.
MLB said college programs now offer stronger development and faster paths to the majors, while the MLB Players Association called the plan 'bad for baseball' that would cripple the next generation of players.
The draft changes sit inside broader CBA talks in which owners are also pressing to curb major-league payrolls, sharpening a fight over who bears baseball's development and labor costs.

Sources

Fox News4h ago

MLB Owners Propose Drastic Draft Changes, $200M Amateur Bonus Pool Cut

ESPN9h ago

MLB Proposes International Draft with $200M Bonus Pool to Combat Corruption

Facebook9h ago

MLB has proposed removing high school players from the draft, allowing college players to become eligible after their sophomore seasons, cutting the draft from 20 rounds to 12 and reducing the total

4 Sources

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MLB’s 2028 Draft Shakeup: 12 Rounds, $200M Bonus Pool, and Age 20 Eligibility Requirement

Overview

Major League Baseball has announced a sweeping proposal to overhaul its amateur player acquisition system, with changes set to begin in 2028. The plan would prohibit players from being drafted directly out of high school, instead requiring them to be at least 20 years old and two years removed from graduation to be eligible. This marks a significant shift from the current system and has been described as shocking compared to earlier, more popular proposals. The changes aim to reshape how young talent enters professional baseball, signaling a major transformation for the sport’s future.

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