The Major League Baseball Draft kicks off on Sunday and runs through Tuesday. ESPN will carry the first round which begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Day 2 (Rounds 3-10) and Day 3 (Rounds 11-20) can be seen beginning at 1 p.m. each day on MLB.com.
Each choice in the first 10 rounds of the Draft comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club's selections equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn't sign, his pick's value gets subtracted from his team's pool. Clubs near the top of the Draft often spend less than the assigned value for those choices and use the savings to offer more money to later selections.
In rounds 11-20, teams can pay a draft pick up to $150,000 with no bearing on anything. Any amount over $150,000 comes out of that team’s bonus pool. It’s why you often see the teams signing players for peanuts in rounds 7-10 to save money to pay someone a lot more than $150,000 in later rounds.
Teams that exceed their bonus pool face a penalty. Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, clubs lose future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Top 10 bonus pools:
1. Guardians: $18,334,000
2. Rockies: $17,243,400
3. Reds: $15,842,100
4. Royals: $15,418,300
5. Athletics: $15,347,900
6. White Sox: $14,593,300
7. Pirates: $14,000,500
8. Angels: $12,990,400
9. Brewers: $12,984,400
10. Diamondbacks: $12,662,000
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Each choice in the first 10 rounds of the Draft comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club's selections equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn't sign, his pick's value gets subtracted from his team's pool. Clubs near the top of the Draft often spend less than the assigned value for those choices and use the savings to offer more money to later selections.
In rounds 11-20, teams can pay a draft pick up to $150,000 with no bearing on anything. Any amount over $150,000 comes out of that team’s bonus pool. It’s why you often see the teams signing players for peanuts in rounds 7-10 to save money to pay someone a lot more than $150,000 in later rounds.
Teams that exceed their bonus pool face a penalty. Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, clubs lose future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Top 10 bonus pools:
1. Guardians: $18,334,000
2. Rockies: $17,243,400
3. Reds: $15,842,100
4. Royals: $15,418,300
5. Athletics: $15,347,900
6. White Sox: $14,593,300
7. Pirates: $14,000,500
8. Angels: $12,990,400
9. Brewers: $12,984,400
10. Diamondbacks: $12,662,000
This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.
