One of the last obstacles for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) back in March was a late insistence by MLB to implement an international draft that would end some irregularities in the current structure.
The two sides agreed to push the deadline to agree on the framework of an international draft to July 25.
The day came, and there was no agreement, in typical MLB-MLBPA fashion.
“Breaking: MLBPA rejects MLB proposal. There is no international draft,” The Athletic’s Evan Drellich tweeted on Monday afternoon.
Breaking: MLBPA rejects MLB proposal. There is no international draft.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) July 25, 2022
Since there was no agreement for an international draft, status quo will remain in place: the international signing window and the qualifying offer system will stay.
It’s unclear if the two sides will re-visit the discussions for an international draft at some point.
Players Wanted No QO, But That Won’t Be Happening Now
Players wanted to remove the qualifying offer system because players who rejected it come attached with the loss of a high draft pick for the team that signs them.
That affects their market.
The league said they could eliminate the QO as long as there was an international draft.
That won’t be the case, at least not for now.
The two sides couldn’t agree on the aggregate amount of money for the first 600 picks.
MLB’s max offer was $191 million, with the No. 1 overall pick getting $6 million.
Players, however, insisted on the number being $260 million and didn’t move from there over the weekend.
It was yet another example that the league and the player’s union can’t seem to agree on anything and take weeks, even months to find common ground even on seemingly less important topics.
In the end, the current international player signing period will remain in place.
