Major League Baseball made its latest proposal to players on Thursday as the two sides attempt to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement. The offer concerned the future of the draft and international signings, and would be so disruptive to the sport that the owners must know how absurd it is. First reported by Baseball America’s JJ Cooper, the offer from the league would represent massive changes in how teams acquire amateur talent and lead to far less money making it into the hands of young players. It’s no surprise the players union quickly issued a forceful rejection. The owners’ latest offer for the domestic draft proposed the following ridiculous terms:High school players would be ineligible for the draft College players would be eligible after their sophomore yearReduce draft from 20 rounds to 12Each pick would include a hard slot, not a suggested oneMore expansive trading of picks would be allowedReduce bonus pools from $358.7 million to $200 millionThere would also be an international draft, rather than the current signing system. That proposal contained the following terms:Players would not be eligible until they turned 18 instead of 1612 hard-slot roundsOverall bonus pools reduced to $200 millionThe first international draft would take place in late 2027 or early ’28. An unlimited number of undrafted players can sign for $10,000, while also receiving a $30,000 bonus after graduating to a full-season minor league affiliate. MLB issued the following statement after submitting its proposal:“It is long past time to reform the international amateur system in ways that would address longstanding challenges and benefit future players. 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. Our vision for the new international system reduces the pressure on young athletes by giving them the chance to grow and develop, keeps kids in school longer while they pursue a career in baseball, and creates more playing opportunities for the older players who are left behind in today's system.”The players’ union excoriated the proposed changes in a statement of its own.“Today, MLB made another set of proposals that are flat out bad for baseball, ones that would cripple the next generation of players and damage the future of our game. They would, among other things:Eliminate over a billion dollars in player compensation from the international and domestic system over the next five yearsDestroy 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.Abolish an entire year of international signings by delaying the first draft until at least September of 2027 (and as late as March of 2028), denying young international players the ability to start their professional careers. Players remain committed to bargaining in good faith and leaving baseball better than they found it — the league’s proposals fall woefully short.”This is where I remind you that the owners are opening with an absurd position and will negotiate from there, but it is a window into their thinking on the matter. The idea of pulling high schoolers out of the draft is dead on arrival. There are plenty of young players who won’t benefit from college development systems and are more than ready for the pro ranks out of high school. Removing them from the draft pool won't happen. Additionally, the draft was already reduced from 40 rounds to 20 in the 2021 CBA, so another reduction is also unlikely. The league might be able to secure hard-slotting of picks if they concede something to the players, and expanding the trading of draft selections could actually be popular. Most of the other points will never happen, including a dramatically reduced bonus pool. The international draft has been an idea the two sides have toyed with before. It was suggested during CBA negotiations in 2020 and ‘21, and it feels like it will inevitably happen, though likely not on the proposed terms. The union will want eligibility at 16, a bigger bonus pool and more than 12 rounds for it to happen.MLB’s latest offer was another example of how far apart the two sides are when it comes to baseball’s future. There is such a wide gap to bridge that many feel like a lockout is inevitable and the 2027 season is in serious danger. With proposals like Thursday’s, it’s hard to be optimistic about how these negotiations will go. More MLB from Sports IllustratedAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow