UPDATED: MLB Announces Draft Changes

UPDATE: On Friday, May 8 MLB announced the following changes to the 2020 Amateur Drafts-

- Draft will be held on Wednesday, June 10 and Thursday, June 11
- Picks 1-37 on June 10, Picks 38-160 on June 11
- Total of Five (5) rounds
- Signing deadline August 1, 2020
- $20K maximum signing bonus for any non draft free agent

These changes are in addition to those below...

On Friday, March 27 MLB announced the following changes to the 2020 & 2021 Amateur Drafts. This is a summary from the official MLB document.

2020 AMATEUR DRAFT

-MLB has the right to delay the start date of the draft to no later than July 20, 2020 and the signing deadline to no later than August 1, 2020.

-Payment of Signing Bonuses. All signing bonuses for players drafted or signed as a passed over free agent shall be paid under the following schedule:

     Within 30 days of approval: Up to $100,000
     July 1, 2021: 50% of the remainder
     July 1, 2022: 50% of the remainder

-Number of Rounds. MLB has the right to reduce the number of rounds from 40 to as few as 5, and adjust the signing bonus pools accordingly.

-Signing Bonus Values. The 2020 signing bonus slots shall be equal to the signing bonus slots associated with that same selection in the 2019 Draft, regardless of the number of rounds in the 2020 Draft (i.e., the signing bonus value for the first overall selection in the 2020 Draft will be the same as the signing bonus value for the first overall selection in the 2019 Draft).

-Passed-Over/Non-Drafted Players. Each Club may sign an unlimited number of passed over players for $20,000 or less.

-No Club may trade its Competitive Balance pick.

-MLB may organize events for draft-eligible players in the months leading up to the Draft. Those events may include baseball evaluation (e.g., games, workouts, showcases, interviews, etc.) as well as medical evaluations (e.g., imaging, examinations, etc.). Participation in these events is voluntary.

2021 AMATEUR DRAFT

-MLB has the right to delay the start date of the Draft to no later than July 20, 2021, and the signing deadline to no later than August 1, 2021.

-Payment of Signing Bonuses. All signing for players drafted or signed as a passed over free agent shall be paid under the following schedule:

     Within 30 days of approval: Up to $100,000
     July 1, 2022: 50% of the remainder
     July 1, 2023: 50% of the remainder

-MLB has the right to reduce the number of rounds from 40 to as few as 20, and adjust the signing bonus pools accordingly.

-In the event that each Club plays less than 81 regular season games in 2020, MLB has the right, after conferring in good faith with the MLBPA, to modify the Draft order.

-Signing Bonus Values. The 2021 signing bonus slots shall be equal to the signing bonus slots associated with that same selection in the 2019 Draft, regardless of the number of rounds in the 2021 Draft (i.e., the signing bonus value for the first overall selection in the 2021 Draft will be the same as the signing bonus value for the first overall selection in the 2019 Draft).

-Passed-Over/Non-Drafted Players. Each Club may sign an unlimited number of passed over players for $20,000 or less.

-No Club may trade its Competitive Balance pick.

-MLB may organize events for draft-eligible players in the months leading up to the Draft. Those events may include baseball evaluation (e.g., games, workouts, showcases, interviews, etc.) as well as medical evaluations (e.g., imaging, examinations, etc.). Participation in these events is voluntary.

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