Francisco Lindor Says Discussion on International Draft is About ‘How to Divide Players’

The shortstop is just the latest player to voice his opinion on the matter.

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said on Thursday that the league was trying to divide players on the international draft as bargaining continues during the lockout. He captioned the post “Get informed before jumping to conclusions.”

“The discussion of an international draft is about how to divide Players,” he said in the tweet. “I’ve been in bargaining sessions for months. I was in Florida. The PA kept us informed about MLB’s proposals, including when the league said the draft was worth nothing and some clubs don’t even want it.” 

Get informed before jumping to conclusions. pic.twitter.com/VA34RbC3K0

— Francisco Lindor (@Lindor12BC) March 10, 2022

Lindor joins other big-name Latino players like Padres slugger Fernando Tatís Jr. and Hall of Fame inductee David Ortiz in denouncing the international draft. Tatís Jr. went on to say an international draft would “kill baseball” in the Dominican Republic. Ortiz, who is also from the Dominican Republic, doesn’t think his country is ready to accommodate players for an international draft. 

Lindor finished his statement by calling out the MLB’s history of corruption when it comes to international players. Currently, the league has a hard cap on international player spending by teams after a previous bonus pool effectively served as a soft cap. 

The MLB has penalized teams for avoiding the current cap on international spending, with the 2017 Braves scandal serving as a notable example. There’s also a history of teams entering in verbal agreements with players as young as 12 through relationships with street agents and trainers.

Just hours after his tweet, it was reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan that MLB and the player’s association have reached an agreement on the international draft. Both sides have until July 25 to reach a deal on an international draft that would start in 2024. 

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