Major League Baseball wants the next CBA to include an international draft:

Under the terms of MLB’s initial concept, the new international draft system would start in March of 2018, with a 10-round draft held over two days. As the new structure evolved, with terms grandfathered into the process, the minimum age for draft-eligible players would be 18 years old by 2021.

As part of baseball’s proposal, MLB would operate facilities in the Dominican Republic, where international draft prospects would be invited to live to develop their skills and education before becoming eligible. This would also give MLB much greater control over a process which has often been viewed by baseball executives as a wild, wild West of player procurement.

You know it’s bunk, because it’s for the children!

Part of the rationale for change put forth by Major League Baseball is the concern over the corruption that has infected the current situation, with handlers for teenage players attempting to extract fees from teams — and sometimes succeeding — in return for delivering the talent. There is also concern that under the current rules, young teenagers are motivated to use performance-enhancing drugs in an attempt to draw a higher signing bonus, without any possibility of oversight or testing. The business of handlers smuggling players from Cuba and demanding recompense has also been an issue that MLB, players and teams have had to face.

The draft led to the decline of African-American and Puerto Rican participation in baseball. It will lead to the decline in Dominican, Mexican, and Venezuelan participation, as well as other countries that send players straight to the United States. These places are a cheap source of talent, and once that talent stops being inexpensive, the majors will be less inclined to look there and develop players.

Here’s the real reason for the draft:

If the proposal is successfully negotiated, it’s a change that would be embraced by a lot of small-market and mid-market teams, because there is a perception that even with revamped rules about international signings, the wealthiest teams — like the Cubs and Dodgers — have a significant advantage over their peers.

When it was just the smaller market teams taking advantage of the international players, everything was fine. Then, the big teams figured out they could acquire talent cheaply that way. As usual, the small markets whine about unfairness. From bonus babies to the draft to free agent compensation, teams that are too incompetent to make money on their own want a hand out.

The union should paint the draft as racist and try to bring an end to it period. The should at least demand the end of slot bonuses, and allow drafted players to negotiate for the best offer from the drafting team. Of course, the MLBPA doesn’t really care about amateur players, as long as the veterans make lots of money.