MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NEWS

MLB OWNERS PROPOSE BANNING HIGH SCHOOL SIGNINGS, ADDING AN INTERNATIONAL DRAFT

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball owners proposed banning high school from signing with major league teams, raising the age for international amateurs and slashing the money spent on signing bonuses in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday.

The amateur draft for players residing in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico would be cut from 20 rounds to 12 beginning in 2027 under the proposal Major League Baseball made during a bargaining session with the players’ association. An identical 12-round draft would be started for international prospects, a proposal the union has rejected in the past.

Starting in 2028, a prospect for the amateur draft would have to be at least 20 years old by the Sept. 1 of his signing year and two years removed from the graduating year of his high school class.

Since the amateur draft started in 1965, high schoolers have been eligible along with college players who are in or have just finished their junior years.

Raising signing ages would likely lead to players being older when they become eligible for free agency, which currently requires six years of major league service.

MLB cited increased revenue in college baseball as reasoning.

“Expanded scholarships, NIL opportunities, revenue sharing and significant investments in facilities and player development have made college baseball an increasingly important pathway that is producing major league-ready talent at an accelerated rate,” MLB said in a statement. “By creating a draft system centered around college-aged players and making most college players eligible one year earlier, more players will benefit from both a college education and an elite development environment while reaching professional baseball — and ultimately the major leagues — more quickly.”

MLB said it will not seek to reduce the 120 minor league teams in the top four levels when it negotiates new professional development licenses in 2030 to replace expiring 10-year deals.

For international amateurs, the age to sign would be raised to 18 on the Sept. 1 of their signing year, up from 17.

Each separate draft would have $200 million in signing pools in 2027. There would be hard caps for each draft.

Teams would be able to trade draft picks but a club couldn’t trade its first-round pick in consecutive drafts. A team couldn’t acquire more than three additional selections among the first three rounds.

Spending on signing bonuses for players eligible for the 2025 amateur draft totaled about $402 million.

Teams have spent about $193 million on signing bonus for international amateurs in 2026. The current signing period starts Jan. 15 each year, but the initial international draft would be no earlier than Sept. 2027.

MLB proposed eliminating competitive balance round picks that began in 2023 and cutting the draft lottery that started in 2023 from the top six picks to four.

Bargaining began May 13 and the sides exchanged initial proposals two weeks later as management proposed a salary cap for the first time since 1994, which resulted in a 7 1/2-month strike and the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years.

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REPORT: MLB SAYS FAREWELL TO HOME RUN DERBY CLOCK

Time has expired on the Home Run Derby clock.

The annual power-hitting display, set to be contested July 13 in Philadelphia during All-Star Game festivities, will revert to its previous format when the number of swings, and not a set time, determined each player’s turn in the competition, The Athletic reported Thursday.

A sport that famously does not adhere to a clock to determine a winner, had embraced the time factor in recent years. The Home Run Derby went to a clock in 2015, while a pitch clock, introduced in 2023, has been credited for speeding up game times.

When the Home Run Derby clock was introduced in 2015, competitors were supposed to have five minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. But approaching inclement weather forced the reduction of time to four minutes per turn and that time limit was adopted permanently in 2016.

While the clock added a sense of urgency to the proceedings, the passage of time has shown that change is inevitable.

This season’s eight-person competition will require competitors to hit as many home runs as possible in 20 swings over the first round. It will be reduced to 15 swings over the final two rounds.

If a competitor hits a home run on his final swing of a round, he can continue until a swing does not produce a homer.

The first round will reduce the field to four competitors and change into a bracket-style competition for the semifinals where the top home-run hitter faces the one who hits the fourth most home runs. The second and third finishers also will square off in a head-to-head duel with the winners of the semifinals meeting in the finals.

Netflix is set to broadcast the Home Run Derby for the first time this season after the event had a long run on ESPN.

The Cincinnati Reds’ Dave Parker won the first Home Run Derby in 1985, while Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners is the defending champion.

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MLB ROUNDUP: ANDREW BENINTENDI SLAM LIFTS WHITE SOX OVER YANKEES

Pinch hitter Andrew Benintendi belted a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning as the visiting Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 5-1 on Thursday. Chicago earned its first win at Yankee Stadium since June 8, 2023, ending a nine-game road skid vs. New York.

In the finale of a three-game series, the White Sox pieced together the winning rally in the eighth against Fernando Cruz (4-2), Tim Hill and Camilo Doval. Benintendi, who once played for the Yankees, batted for Randal Grichuk and snapped a 1-1 tie by lifting Doval’s first-pitch sinker into the right-center-field seats.

The American League Central-leading White Sox got a double from Sam Antonacci and had two batters hit by pitches to set up Benintendi’s blast. After Chicago opener Bryan Hudson allowed a hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings, bulk reliever Sean Burke (4-4) struck out eight while giving up one run on five hits in 7 1/3 innings.

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Ryan McMahon homered as the Yankees had their four-game winning streak end while losing for just the sixth time in the past 21 games.

Royals 14, Cardinals 6

Bobby Witt Jr. homered and was one of seven Kansas City players with at least two hits — but later exited with right knee discomfort — while Salvador Perez’s solo shot made him the all-time home run leader at Kauffman Stadium as the host Royals beat St. Louis.

The star shortstop injured himself going into the hole to field Jordan Walker’s RBI infield single in the fourth. Witt finished the inning but was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the frame. Witt’s departure overshadowed a potent night for the Royals, who set season highs for runs and hits (17), while posting eight doubles, including a club-record five during their six-run second inning.

Meanwhile, Perez had three hits and his 137th homer at home — a 385-foot shot to left in the sixth inning — broke George Brett’s record to give Kansas City a 12-4 lead. Masyn Winn and JJ Wetherholt each had three hits while Jose Fermin added two with two RBIs for the Cardinals, who recorded 13 hits but stranded 15 runners.

Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 3

Brandon Valenzuela’s two-out double against Aroldis Chapman drove in Ernie Clement with the go-ahead run in the ninth inning and visiting Toronto completed a three-game sweep of Boston.

Valenzuela’s double came after the Red Sox tied the game on back-to-back home runs by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Caleb Durbin in the eighth. Both home runs came against Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage, who allowed three runs on four hits in 7 1/3 innings. He struck out six without a walk.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes each hit a solo home run against Boston starter Sonny Gray, who gave up three runs on six hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked one.

Mets 6, Phillies 4

Juan Soto homered twice and Marcus Semien drove in a pair of insurance runs as visiting New York beat Philadelphia in the first matchup of the season between the rivals.

The Mets also received big efforts from Carson Benge (3-for-5) and A.J. Ewing (2-for-3, RBI). Huascar Brazoban (4-1) pitched a scoreless inning in relief for the win, and Devin Williams allowed a two-out run in the ninth before closing out his 11th save.

Alec Bohm finished with two hits and two RBIs for the Phillies. Jose Alvarado (3-2) yielded three runs in his lone inning. Trea Turner (right calf contusion) left after getting hit by a pitch.

Guardians 4, Brewers 2

Cleveland broke a tie in the seventh inning to rally for a win against host Milwaukee, earning a victory for just the third time in the past nine games.

Starting pitcher Parker Messick (7-3) gave up two runs on four hits and three walks, and struck out nine over six innings for the Guardians. Starter Shane Drohan went five innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks for the Brewers, who had won three straight.

Cleveland took its first lead of the game in the seventh inning off reliever Grant Anderson (1-3). Travis Bazzana ripped a fastball into the seats in right field to put the visitors ahead 3-2.

Twins 9, Rangers 3

Trevor Larnach went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs, and Minnesota cruised to a win over host Texas.

Brooks Lee added a three-run homer for Minnesota, which completed a three-game sweep over the Rangers. Ryan Kreidler hit a two-run homer, and Victor Caratini finished 3-for-4.

Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue each hit a solo home run for Texas. Josh Smith doubled for the Rangers’ only other extra-base hit.

Mariners 3, Orioles 0

Bryan Woo (6-5) pitched seven-plus scoreless innings as host Seattle defeated Baltimore. Woo allowed three hits, walked one and fanned nine.

The Mariners did all their damage with a two-out rally in the first inning off Orioles starter Shane Baz (4-7), using a run-scoring double from Cole Young and a two-run single from Colt Emerson to take a 3-0 lead.

Baz overcame the shaky start to last seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out nine.

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