Major League Baseball is considering the possibility of not conducting a 2020 MLB draft in order to save money during the shutdown of the league due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The MLB, like many sports leagues around the world, has been shut down indefinitely because of the growing threat from the novel coronavirus. Spring training has been suspended and Opening Day has been pushed back to at least mid-May, and that remains subject to change as the situation develops. When baseball does return many questions will need to be answered including the 2020 amateur draft that is currently scheduled for June 10. With the halting of scouting by the league by half of the MLB teams and the shutting of amateur leagues, there are not any games to scout.
MLB will take a financial hit during the shutdown, no games means nothing to generate revenue and, to mitigate the damage, the league is considering skipping the 2020 amateur draft. Teams spend approximately $400 million combined on draft bonuses each year, plus associated scouting costs.
If MLB skips the draft, prospects could return to school for their senior season (college players) or enroll in a junior college (high school players) to become draft-eligible next year. However, the question is what would happen to the teams with high draft picks such as the Tigers, who currently hold the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, the Orioles, Marlins, Royals and Blue Jays hold picks 2-5 in that order.
