MLB & MLBPA Agree to Negotiate on International Draft

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Major League Baseball and its Players Association have reached an agreement on the international draft, paving the way for further economic discussions to continue.

Passan notes the sides have agreed to wait until July 25 to finalize a deal on an international draft that would begin in 2024.

The international draft had been a major stumbling block towards the progress of securing a new CBA agreement, with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred canceling an additional 93 games, bringing the total to 184. Opening Day, which was originally scheduled for March 31, has been pushed back to April 14 at the earliest.

With economic differences reportedly narrowing between the two sides, the hope is that an agreement can soon be reached now that the draft issue has been put aside.

Unfortunately, the prospects of salvaging a full 162-game schedule appear bleak, with Arizona Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall saying:

“We were talking these last few days about taking those first two series and finding a way to get them back in the schedule. From what I’m hearing now, these four series are out.”

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Los Angeles Dodgers as World Series favorites at +600 odds.