Major League Baseball and its locked-out players agreed Thursday to negotiate on an international amateur draft, paving the way for renewed economic talks.
The sides agreed to a July 25 deadline to establish an international draft that would start in 2024 after the 99th day of the labor dispute.
The baseball commissioner canceled 93 more games on Wednesday because of the draft issue, raising the total to 184. He said that opening day wouldn't be earlier than April 14.
When the international draft obstacle caused MLB to refuse to counter the union's proposal, the sides narrowed many economic differences.
If a draft agreement is reached by July 25, direct amateur draft-pick compensation will be removed for free agents.
Direct amateur-draft pick compensation would remain in place if the sides don't reach an agreement by July 25.
The union said in a statement that the PA awaits a counter from the league.
The games that were wiped off the calendar were not called "canceled", but "no longer could be played due to baseball's ninth work stop."
The first two series are out, according to the Arizona Diamondbacks president.
Teams would pick in different quadrants of the first round over a four-year period in MLB's proposal for an international draft. The union agreed to start the amateur draft in 2012 for residents of the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.
Hard slots that could not be negotiated by individuals are included in the international draft proposal. $17 million in additional spending for the drafted international players is estimated by MLB over the $166 million spent by the 30 teams in 2021. The draft would start in 2024.
The right to pick a team would be lost by international players. The draft age is in the year a player turns 16.
The narrative being pushed ignores a lot of history, including corruption from clubs. It is about all players and the future of the game.
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