MLB’s age-20 – Major League Baseball wants to end immediate drafting out of high school by requiring players to be at least 20 years old, starting with the 2028 draft, while also shrinking the domestic draft and reshaping the international draft. The players union and major
By the time Thursday’s proposal reached the Major League Baseball Players Association, the reaction was already boiling.
MLB laid out a plan it says would reshape how talent enters the sport—starting with a rule that would bar players from being drafted right out of high school. Under the proposal, players would have to be at least 20 years old by Sept. 1 of their draft year, and at least two years after their high school graduation. The draft would begin in 2028.
Bruce Meyer, interim executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, called MLB’s package “flat-out bad for baseball” and said it would “cripple the next generation of players” and damage the future of the game.
Meyer’s concerns go beyond age limits. He said MLB’s proposal would eliminate more than $1 billion in player compensation from the international and domestic system over the next five years. with a $400 million reduction in 2026-2027. In his view. the plan would “destroy fundamental player rights and remove talent from our sport” by barring high school and junior college players—anyone under age 20—from the domestic draft. He also argued that delaying international signings until September 2027 would “deny” young international players the ability to start their professional careers.
The domestic draft changes are sweeping. MLB’s plan would reduce the draft from 20 rounds to 12 rounds and move to a $200 million draft pool, down from $358.7 million. It also would implement a 12-round international draft.
Veteran baseball executives and agents reacted sharply to the concept of blocking young players from the domestic pipeline. One veteran agent called the proposal “the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” and an MLB scouting director said, “let’s just kill the game!”
At the center of the dispute is what MLB says it’s trying to accomplish—and what the union and agents believe the changes will actually do.
MLB argues the new system would incentivize players to attend college. The league said the college pathway would allow athletes to develop while still being paid with NIL funds. Players wouldn’t necessarily need to be active college players; MLB said they could be drafted after playing in independent baseball or an MLB Draft League. In return. MLB would lower the qualification for college players to be drafted after their sophomore season instead of their junior year.
MLB also praised the role of college baseball, saying it has become “become increasingly central to developing future Major Leaguers” and that 75% of MLB players have played in college.
MLB pointed to improvements it says college programs have made over recent years. citing “Expanded scholarships. NIL opportunities. revenue sharing. and significant investments in facilities and player development.” MLB said those changes have made college baseball a pipeline that produces “major league-ready talent at an accelerated rate. ” and it framed the proposal as a way to build on what it described as momentum across college. minor league and major league levels.
“The enhanced transparency of the International Draft that we are proposing is a common-sense step forward that best addresses the root causes of corruption in the current system,” MLB said, as it defended the international side of the plan.
For the union and agents, the defense is not persuasive.
Powerful agent Scott Boras—who said the league is “berating franchises, they are berating players, and berating the game for even suggesting this”—argued the strategy is aimed at forcing players to reach older ages before teams can benefit.
“They are berating franchises, they are berating players,” he said, adding, “and berating the game for even suggesting this.” Boras also said MLB’s claim about development doesn’t match how college rosters work. He argued that coaches typically prioritize older players.
Said Boras: “Any good college coach plays their seniors and juniors so this group going to college would not be playing. These older players will be taking up their playing time. That’s why we have professional choices. You’re playing 60 games in college. Playing professionally, you learn how to play 140 games. You learn how to psychologically survive the game.”.
Boras’s view is also tied to money and timing. He said MLB’s goals include preventing players from reaching free agency early. He argued that MLB wants players “to be older in the game so they can create ceilings.”
That argument was sharpened with examples of players whose careers started young. Boras pointed to Juan Soto. who signed with the Washington Nationals at 16 and reached the big leagues at 19. and is the game’s highest-paid player with a $765 million contract. He cited Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays at 16 and signed a 14-year. $500 million contract when he was 26. He also referenced Bryce Harper. who was drafted first in the county when he was 17. reached free agency at 26. and signed for $330 million with the Phillies.
Even some scouts who see value in development worry about MLB’s premise. Several MLB scouts told the market publication that they “vehemently disagree,” and that the new draft eligibility would be a detriment to player development.
One scouting director said, “College baseball is not set up for development,” adding, “It’s to win games. So many freshmen don’t even get to play.”
Another key part of MLB’s domestic proposal is a series of rules that change how teams manage draft leverage.
Under the plan. teams would be able to trade first-round picks for the first time since the draft was implemented in 1965. but not in consecutive years. MLB also said no club would be allowed to accrue more than three extra picks within the first three rounds of a draft. The league proposed requiring at least 10 players to attend the MLB Draft and to receive a $50,000 draft bonus. MLB said there wasn’t a single first-round pick last year that attended the draft.
The proposal would not reduce the number of minor-league teams, which is currently at 120, and MLB said it would hold steady through at least 2030. MLB also wants to lower the draft lottery selections from six to four, with no team eligible to receive a lottery selection for three consecutive years.
Alongside the domestic overhaul, MLB wants to implement a 12-round international draft. MLB described it as restricted to players at least 18 years old, with a signing-bonus pool of $200 million for 360 international players. For international players who aren’t drafted. MLB said they would be limited to a maximum $10. 000 signing bonus while receiving a $30. 000 bonus once they complete a full minor-league season.
The union’s objection lands on the same central point: the timeline. Multiple MLB executives said the proposal would mean American-born kids would be penalized, requiring them to wait two years longer than international players to sign MLB contracts.
MLB countered that the international draft is designed to reduce pressure on young athletes by giving them a chance to grow and develop. keeping kids in school longer while pursuing a career in baseball. and creating more playing opportunities for older players left behind in today’s system. MLB also said the draft would help diminish corruption in foreign countries. arguing that deals involving kids 10 years or older have contributed to corruption and that falsifying birth certificates with performance-enhancing drugs has become more rampant.
The league also said it would implement an international scouting and medical combine for the top 300 international prospects.
Still, Boras described the league’s approach as cost-driven. He said the union believes MLB wants an international draft “strictly as a cost-saving measure for clubs. ” mirroring the logic behind the reduced domestic draft that would delay kids from entering. In his framing. the later they enter the draft. the later they hit free agency. and the later they hit free agency. the older they’ll be—and the less money they’ll be paid.
If the draft is reduced again under an age restriction with a hard slot, Boras predicted it will push young athletes toward other sports.
“Barring American boys of choices and representation will certainly redirect the best youth athletes to other sports,” Boras said. “Franchises built their futures on the (Bobby) Witts. (Gunnar) Hendersons and (Elly) De La Cruzes. and in past drafts the (Bryce) Harpers. (Ken) Griffeys. A-Rods. and now they deny those players and teams the right of choice.” He added. “NBA. NHL and international soccer is so happy about this decision as they offer youth choices for great athletes.”.
MLB’s own pitch also included specific projections. The league said that if its proposal is implemented, 86% of the top-40 college selections in the 2025 draft would have been eligible a year earlier under the new eligibility rules.
In the end, the fight isn’t only about rules. It’s about timing—who gets to start a career first. who gets to earn earlier. and who is forced to wait. MLB is presenting a college-forward path while arguing it will deepen fans’ connection to the next generation of stars. The union and agents see something else: an attempt to manage costs by pushing young talent off the early track and changing leverage in how players reach the game’s biggest paydays.
MLB draft age eligibility Major League Baseball Players Association Scott Boras Bruce Meyer international draft NIL college baseball player compensation free agency