MLB proposes draft overhaul ending high school eligibility

Major League Baseball has proposed a sweeping overhaul of its amateur talent acquisition system in ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, a move that would fundamentally reshape the path to the major leagues. The league's proposal, presented to the MLB Players Association on Thursday, June 18, 2026, would institute a minimum age of 20 for the domestic draft, effectively ending the decades-long practice of drafting high school players.

Under the proposed framework, a player would need to be at least 20 years old by September 1 of the draft year and be two years removed from his high school graduation class. This change would also impact junior college players, who would no longer be eligible after one season. The domestic draft would be reduced from 20 rounds to 12, and a new, separate 12-round international draft would be established for players outside the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The international signing age would rise from 17 to 18 by September 1 of the signing year.

A central feature of the plan is the implementation of hard, non-negotiable slot values for every draft pick, replacing the current system of assigned slot values and team...