On Thursday, what would’ve been Opening Day for the 2020 baseball season, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have reached an agreement to pay players $170 million in advance for April and May. ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan first reported the news.
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have a deal, sources tell ESPN. The players have voted on it already. MLB owners are expected to ratify it tomorrow. An excellent sign that draws a path forward as baseball tries to figure out when it will return.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 27, 2020
The deal will also cut the league’s amateur draft, which usually consists of forty rounds along with several compensatory picks and competitive balance rounds, down to five rounds. Through the new deal, baseball’s international signing period could be delayed to as late as January 2021, Passan reports.
In the deal, MLB has the right to shorten the 2020 draft to five rounds, sources tell ESPN. Additionally, it can delay the start of the international signing period to as late as January 2021.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 27, 2020
If there is no season due to the COVID-19 outbreak across the U.S., players will be able to keep their money. The league’s players approved the proposal in a vote held Thursday and the agreement will be ratified by owners on Friday.