For Braves fans tracking the international market, Alfredo Sena sits at the center of the conversation. He’s widely viewed as the top prospect in the upcoming international free-agent class, and there’s a real possibility he develops into a generational talent. For Atlanta, landing the teenage shortstop would be a massive boost to the organization’s future.
That possibility is now hanging on the outcome of Collective Bargaining Agreement talks, where one of the biggest issues is whether MLB and the players will agree to an international draft. The concept itself is not the problem.
The problem is the timing. MLB and the owners are apparently trying to push through a draft that would govern this year’s international free-agent class.
If that happens, the Braves are out of the running for Sena.
MLB is pushing for an international draft to begin right after a new CBA is signed, but that doesn’t mean the Braves need to panic just yet. The league’s preferred timeline would almost certainly shut Atlanta out of the Sena sweepstakes, because there is almost no version of an international draft that would give the Braves the No. 1 overall pick based on where they finished the 2026 season. And that pick would be the one needed to bring Sena into the fold.
Still, the accelerated timetable looks more like a bargaining tactic than a realistic plan. With governments, agencies, and teams all part of the equation, there’s little chance every side reaches agreement fast enough to actually have a draft ready this year. In these negotiations, every detail is on the table, and MLB is clearly trying to create leverage early.
The real question is how the MLBPA will answer. Both sides have already agreed in principle that an international draft would be good for baseball moving forward.
But the union is highly unlikely to accept an immediate overhaul that would disrupt an entire class of new players and their representatives. The only uncertainty is how aggressively it will push back.
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