The debate over Major League Baseball’s proposed international draft is heating up, and it’s clear that both the league and the Players Association have a lot to gain—and lose—in this high-stakes negotiation. As the MLB Players Association rejected the league’s most recent offer in 2022, the conversation about how to fairly and effectively handle international talent has become a critical issue.  

At the heart of the dispute is the glaring disparity between young, unproven prospects and older, more experienced players like Roki Sasaki from countries like Japan, who are often thrown into the same pool. This disparity has raised important questions about fairness, equity, and what an international draft would mean for the future of young players seeking to make it in the big leagues.  

Roki Sasaki signing may lead to calls for an international draft  

On an episode of Foul territory, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal said, “Why is a 23-year-old kid who’s pitched professionally in Japan in the same pool of players as 16-year-olds from Latin America who have never played professionally? It’s kinda weird, right?” Rosenthal highlighted a fundamental issue at the heart of the international talent pool.

For years, MLB has struggled with the disparity in experience and development between international players. The 23-year-old in question is none other than Roki Sasaki, the pitching phenom, who has already faced major-league-level competition.  

As Rosenthal points out, MLB isn’t exactly concerned with the chaos this situation creates. “They don’t mind the chaos or kids getting shafted out of deals because a team might sign Sasaki,” Rosenthal said. The reality is, this very chaos strengthens the league’s argument for implementing an international draft. “This is what MLB has been driving for past several collective bargaining negotiations,” he explained.

The league has consistently pushed for a draft system that would regulate and streamline the signing process for international players, much like the domestic draft already does for U.S. based players. Even fans have noticed this and commented that an international draft be put in place. 

Fans react to the unfair system of international signings 

The conversation about how Major League Baseball handles international talent has become a point of heated debate, with fans sharing their frustrations, opinions, and potential solutions. Some argue that MLB’s current system, where the league imposes a strict bonus pool cap on international signings, is unfair and limiting for talented prospects. 

One fan vented, “Always wondered why a league without an actual cap for its Big League roster enforces such a small one for international players. They’re intentionally limiting how much these gifted prospects can get.” In a system where the sky’s the limit for MLB rosters, it seems paradoxical that the international market is so tightly regulated. Teams are given a set budget to sign international talent, and exceeding that cap brings penalties. This has created an environment where young, talented players are often undervalued or constrained by a system that limits their earning potential based solely on where they come from.

On the other side of the debate, some fans believe the solution is an international draft—an idea that would bring more structure and fairness to the process. “They need an international draft. It could help bring more balance to MLB,” one fan argued, suggesting that the current system, where teams essentially bid on international prospects, favors the clubs that have more money in their international pool. Without a draft, large-market teams often have an advantage because they can throw money at top prospects, while smaller-market teams are left scrambling. An international draft could level the playing field.  

“NHL & NBA has always had it.” This comment underscores a common argument in favor of an international draft—comparing MLB to other major North American leagues like the NHL and NBA, who have well-established international draft systems. In the NHL, for example, prospects from Europe and other parts of the world enter a unified draft pool, with their rights tied to whichever team selects them. In the NBA, international players are selected through the same draft system as domestic players, which helps maintain fairness and keeps the process transparent. For many fans, the idea that MLB hasn’t yet implemented such a system feels outdated and out of step with how other leagues manage their international talent.

But there’s another wrinkle to the conversation that involves a different aspect of the international market: the relationship between MLB and Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). “Tell that to the NPB. The reason why they have this posting system in place is so that MLB doesn’t poach NPB’s talent,” one fan explained. The posting system was created to prevent MLB from swooping in and signing top Japanese players without compensating their NPB teams. Some players might choose to play college ball in the U.S. or sign with MLB teams in ways that sidestep the posting system entirely. This loophole has raised concerns. 

Then, there’s the more critical perspective that questions whether an international draft would even make a difference in solving the underlying issues. One fan pointed out, “How would the international draft make any difference? Isn’t the reason that he’s paid from the bonus pool and not allowed to make more than the minimum because of the way MLB negotiated the posting system with NPB?”

In this view, the issue isn’t just about how players are signed but also about how the posting system limits what international players—especially from Japan—can earn when they make the jump to MLB. The negotiated terms of the posting system have led to a scenario where Japanese players are effectively capped in terms of their earnings, which the fan argues is more of a problem than the lack of a draft.  

As these discussions unfold, it’s clear that the future of MLB’s international player system is complex, with no easy answers. Some fans push for a broader, more open market for international talent, arguing that increasing the cap or abolishing it altogether would allow players to earn more based on their talent and demand. Others see the international draft as the way forward to bring some order and balance to a chaotic market.