Major League Baseball will hold a draft this year, but it won’t look like it usually does.
As first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the 2020 MLB draft will consist of five rounds. Players who are not drafted will be able to sign with teams for no more than $20,000.
The 2020 Major League Baseball draft will be five rounds, sources tell @kileymcd and me. All players who go undrafted would be eligible to sign for a maximum of $20,000. While there was a proposal to the union for a 10-round draft, the sides didn’t come to an agreement.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 8, 2020
This is a huge change, as the draft is typically 40 rounds. That just wasn’t feasible this year, especially with the college baseball season being canceled and spring athletes being granted an extra year of NCAA eligibility.
This is MLB getting its wish, as the MLBPA wanted a larger draft. The event is currently scheduled for June 10-12. There is no word on whether that date will remain in place, though it certainly won’t need to be a three-day event for only five rounds.
