MLB considering skipping 2020 draft

It is only one week removed from the MLB suspending spring training for Corona Virus prevention and the league still has a lot of big decisions to tackle. Now, the MLB is considering skipping this year's amateur draft, and putting off the International signing period as a method of saving money for teams that are losing revenue from cancelled games.

Ronald Blum, from The Associated Press, reported Thursday that discussion between the league and the players' association are very much on-going and involve a variety of important matters at hand, including player's service time, which decides when they would be available to hit free agency or salary arbitration.

The decision to potentially skip the draft stems from teams having told the commissioner's office they are fearful they may have to lay off administrative staff with the prospect of expected cash not coming in from tickets, broadcast and sponsorship contracts. To draft and sign players is expensive for every MLB club, with signing bonuses for amateur players totalling around $400 million annually.

MLB has proposed crediting full service for 130 games or more and proportional service for a shorter season, the people said on condition of anonymity because those details have not been made public, according to the AP.

The MLB has said that they are fully committed to playing as many games as they possibly can with opening day being pushed back until mid-May at the earliest, but game scheduling has been left completely open since there is still no way to determine when a season could possibly start.

Blum also reports that the two sides are also discussing whether MLB would advance money to players, who only get paid during the regular season. The Uniform Player's Contract has a provision that would allow commissioner Rob Manfred to suspend the deal during any kind of national emergency where Major League Baseball is not being played.

How much money exactly and who would receive it is also still up for discussion. Whether only players on the 40-man roster would receive an advance, or it would be passed through all organizations.

The MLB still has to figure out how they will get money to minor league players who have not received a pay cheque since their season ended in 2019.

There are still a lot of decisions left ahead for Major League Baseball to work out as it works its way to potentially playing baseball again this year. As baseball will admit though, right now, there are far bigger things to worry about than playing games.

Source: The Associated Press

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