Commissioner Rob Manfred, who, not long ago, praised the league's competitive balance, is now fully committed to pushing for a salary cap to ensure owners can pocket more in profit.But as a new report on Thursday has revealed, those efforts aren't limited exclusively to reducing spending on player salaries for those currently in the big leagues.ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday that the owners had proposed a key change in the CBA that would severely impact the MLB Draft moving forward.
Currently, players are eligible after finishing their high school career, and players in international markets are signed through a separate system and bonus pool removed from the draft process.Under this new proposal, high school players would no longer be eligible to enter the draft, and the owners would get their long-dreamed-of wish of an international draft.MLB OWNERS AND PLAYERS BEGIN CBA NEGOTIATIONS IN NEW YORK AS SALARY CAP FIGHT LOOMS OVER 2026 SEASONMLB Commissioner Rob Manfred looks on ahead of game one of the National League Wild Card Series between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill., on Sept.30, 2025.
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)While the draft, for years, went well past 50 rounds, the current format has shortened it to 20.The owners' proposal would shorten it further, to just 12 rounds.
And here's the most important factor for MLB and the ownership groups: The amateur signing bonus pool would be cut, nearly in half, to $200 million.The numbers are even more stark considering international signings.Last year, per The Athletic, domestic amateur players received "about $402 million" in bonuses.
International amateurs received "about $197 million."Between the two pools of talent, that's nearly $600 million in bonuses.This proposal would save owners $400 million in its first year, since the league is proposing skipping an entire class of international amateur players before starting a second, 12-round draft.
Moving forward, i...