MLB Reportedly Eyeing International Draft With Tradable Picks For 2020

An international draft could be in the near future for Major League Baseball — and it could be coming as soon as 2020.

MLB officials and international club personnel gathered in Miami on Tuesday to discuss the potential implementation of a 20-round international draft, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler. Badler originally reported the proposed draft was “in the early dialogue phase at the commissioner’s office” back in May, and it now appears to be picking up steam.

Here’s how Balder says the league believes it would work:

“Based on what MLB told team personnel yesterday, the most recent draft concept would be 20 rounds, with teams allowed to trade picks. Every pick would have a hard slot value, so if a team drafts a player and the slot value is $1 million, that player would sign for $1 million. Picks in the top three rounds would be protected for clubs, so if a team drafted a player in one of those rounds who didn’t sign, it would potentially receive compensation in the following year’s draft.

After the 20th round, teams can sign nondrafted free agents for up to $25,000. The age when players become eligible to sign would still be 16. However, while the current system centers around July 2, the annual opening of the international signing period, the draft would be held in August.”

But this proposed draft may not take the same form as the MLB Draft held in June. Rather than giving the worst team in the league two No. 1 draft picks, teams would rotate annually by division.

International scouts and trainers for international players originally were opposed to the proposal, but now appear to be warming up to the idea as a way to avoid 13-year-old and 14-year-old players committing to major league franchises in the current signing format. But with so many items still up for discussion, Badler says details of the proposal “are still likely to change.”