Texas Rangers: Effects of the new MLB, MLBPA agreement

Changes to the Amateur Draft

Perhaps the change that will be most immediately noticed by fans, both heavily invested and more casual, is the significant adjustment to the 2020 MLB Amateur Draft. The draft, usually held in June, could be pushed back into July but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted that it won’t be held later than July. Most notably though in the agreement is that the draft could be reduced to as little as five rounds down considerably from the standard 40 rounds.

Passan notes that the MLB reserves the right to increase the rounds in this year’s draft and signing bonuses for draftees will be deferred rather than paid at signing. Jon Heyman of MLB Network added on that undrafted players can signing for bonuses of up to $20,000.

For the Rangers, as with all teams in the MLB, this will hamper the ability to stock the minors with prospect talent. Often in the later rounds in the draft, the Rangers will go outside the box with their draftees hoping to take raw potential and convert it into a big league caliber player. Without the security of extra rounds, the importance of drafting well into the early rounds becomes all the more important. Texas could steer away from the raw prospects and make a play for higher floor, refined players that may lack the long-term ceiling, but are less likely to carry ‘bust’ potential as well.