Players and teams have increased flexibility within the global amateur talent structure. Although teams may face penalties for surpassing their allotment of international bonus pool funds, players have the ability to select their preferred destinations.The amateur draft began in 1965. Competitive balance selections are the only picks from the 20-round draft that can be traded, and there are penalties for teams that exceed their allotment for signing bonuses.
John D’Angelo, the vice president of amateur and medical baseball operations for Major League Baseball, sent the memo to front offices on Monday.___
The memorandum labels the actions as “extremely inappropriate” and goes against the rules set by the major league and the collective bargaining agreement with its players. Teams involved in such behavior may face severe consequences, such as forfeiting draft picks or international bonus pool funds.
The memo states that Clubs have been urging amateur players in the United States to forgo playing high school baseball in the United States and/or Canada, in order to become residents in a foreign country. This is done in hopes of being able to sign under the International Amateur Talent System rather than the Rule 4 Draft.
The Major League Baseball organization has advocated for an international draft, but the concept has been rejected by the players’ association.
The initial report on the alert came from ESPN. On Tuesday, the Associated Press acquired the memorandum.
MLB news from the Associated Press can be found at https://apnews.com/hub/mlb.
MLB has cautioned teams against promoting players to drop out of high school baseball in order to avoid the amateur draft and opt for the greater flexibility of international free agency.
