If you recall the conclusion of the lockout this past spring, MLB and the MLBPA were to continue negotiations on an international draft, with a deadline of July 25, which just so happens to be today.  You may be surprised to hear that the two sides were not able to come to an amicable agreement, so there will be no international draft and draft pick compensation for free agents will continue to exist.

On Sunday, MLB made what it described as its final offer, with a bonus pool of $191 million. The players had earlier proposed a bonus pool of $260 million.  An international draft was expected to help rein in the corruption that is rife in the international amateur signing process, particularly in the Dominican Republic and Latin America.  Key among the concerns is the prevalence of early deals, agreements between teams and players before a player has reached 16, the minimum age required to formally sign.

Since there was no agreement, the current system of offering certain free agents a qualifying offer and receiving draft pick compensation should they sign with another team will remain in place.  The loss of a draft pick has depressed, if not outright destroyed, the market for some players over the years, most recently Michael Comforto, who did not sign at all this last offseason, and with Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel, who waited until the draft was completed in 2019 before signing deals with the Cubs and Braves respectively.