Major League Baseball on Thursday proposed massive changes to the way baseball players become professionals, including hundreds of millions of dollars in reductions to the signing bonuses teams pay to amateurs annually and the elimination of high-school draft picks.For the first time in this round of bargaining, the league has also proposed an international draft, an expected development after the sides made some progress on that concept in the 2021-22 negotiations.Of all the changes the league proposed Thursday, the institution of an international draft might have the best chance to eventually become reality in some form. MLB’s labor negotiation is still in its early stages, where the sides put forth large requests that will be whittled down over time.The league is proposing both the domestic and international drafts would go 12 rounds, and that each draft would come with its own $200 million signing-bonus pool and hard slots, where an inflexible amount of money is tied to each pick. The current domestic draft lasts 20 rounds and does not have hard slots, which allows players to negotiate sums above or below the amounts assigned to their pick.Domestic amateurs received about $402 million last year and international amateurs about $197 million, and this year again, teams will pay close to $600 million in combined bonuses. In Thursday’s proposal, the league is looking to reduce their overall outlay for amateurs by at least $200 million each year.But, according to the union, the reduction in overall signing bonuses would be $400 million for the first year of the contract, because the league is proposing to skip an entire class of international amateur signings, with only six international drafts taking place during the league’s proposed seven-year agreement.Teams incur costs for every player they sign, and the league office appears to be trying to usher in a system that ultimately brings in fewer players and players who are ultimately more reliable investments. According to MLB, six percent of international signees reach the big leagues, and 44 percent of all players signed from abroad are released within three years.Starting with the 2028 domestic draft, the league wants domestic draftees to be at least 20 years old by Sept. 1 of that year, and will require them to be at least two years removed from high-school graduation.MLB is also raising the signing age for international amateurs by a year: currently, they have to be 17 by Sept. 1 of the year they join a team. Now, they’d have to be 18.“Over the last several years, college baseball has undergone a remarkable transformation,” MLB said in a statement. “Today’s top programs provide players with resources, competition, and national exposure that were unimaginable a decade ago.“By creating a draft system centered around college-aged players and making most college players eligible one year earlier, more players will benefit from both a college education and an elite development environment while reaching professional baseball — and ultimately the major leagues — more quickly. “At the outset of formal negotiations in late May, the league proposed bringing a salary-cap system to MLB, a particularly divisive issue for players that could lead to a lengthy labor fight. Owners are expected to lock out the players in December, when the current 2022-26 labor deal expires. The 2027 season could be in jeopardy if talks don’t progress by next spring.