2023 MLB Draft: Bonus Pools, Slot Values For Each Team

MLB sent teams slot values and bonus pool information for the 2023 draft Tuesday evening, and after winning the first overall pick in the first-ever draft lottery the Pirates have the largest bonus pool at $16,185,700.

Below are the full bonus pool amounts for each team:

• Pirates — $16,185,700.00
• Tigers — $15,747,200.00
• Nationals — $14,502,400.00
• Twins — $14,345,600.00
• A’s — $14,255,600.00
• Reds — $13,785,200.00
• Mariners — $13,170,900.00
• Marlins — $12,829,600.00
• Royals — $12,313,500.00
• Rockies — $11,909,800.00
• D-backs — $11,084,300.00
• Brewers — $10,950,600.00
• Rays — $10,872,100.00
• Orioles — $10,534,800.00
• Red Sox — $10,295,100.00
• Rangers — $9,925,300.00
• Giants — $9,916,900.00
• White Sox — $9,072,800.00
• Cubs — $8,962,000.00
• Guardians — $8,736,700.00
• Mets — $8,440,400.00
• Braves — $8,341,700.00
• Angels — $8,328,900.00
• Dodgers — $7,274,600.00
• Astros — $6,747,900.00
• Blue Jays — $6,529,700.00
• Cardinals — $6,375,100.00
• Padres — $5,416,000.00
• Yankees — $5,299,400.00
• Phillies — $5,185,500.00

Slot values for the draft have risen 9.88% from the 2022 draft. Each year the slot values are determined by matching the growth in revenues in baseball.

The first overall pick in 2023 comes with a slot value of $9,721,000 compared to $8,846,900 in the 2022 draft. That’s a significant increase, though it is worth noting no player has ever signed for more than $9 million in the draft.

Spencer Torkelson’s $8,416,300 bonus stands as the largest ever, as the first overall pick in 2020, while the top two picks from the 2022 class, Jackson Holliday and Drew Jones, checked in just under him for the second and third all-time bonuses with $8,190,000 and $8,189,400, respectively.

The top three teams in the first round order each have the top three bonus pools, though the Tigers have a larger pool picking at No. 3 than the Nationals picking at No. 2 thanks to a supplemental first-round pick at No. 37 overall that comes with a $2,309,500 slot value.

The Rangers are picking No. 4 overall, but like a year ago, have significantly less bonus pool money to work with than their counterparts at the top of the draft. The Rangers don’t have their second- or third-round picks after signing Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi and will work with the 16th-largest bonus pool despite picking at the top of the first round.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Mariners, who don’t make their first selection until the 22nd pick, but have the sixth-largest bonus pool thanks to a prospect promotion incentive pick at No. 29 overall that came from Julio Rodriguez winning AL Rookie of the Year. That pick carries a $2,800,700 slot value and the Mariners also have the first supplemental pick after the first round at No. 30, which carries a $2,732,500 slot value.

Each pick among the top 10 rounds carries a slot value and the individual amounts added together get each team’s total bonus pool. Teams are able to use that money however they like in the draft—i.e. each pick doesn’t automatically sign for the assigned slot value—with penalties incurring if teams go over their total bonus pools.

Many teams will go over their total bonus pools and incur a tax, though no team has ever gone over the 5% threshold that triggers pick loss penalties in the bonus pool era.

The 11-20 round selections don’t come with assigned slot values, though any money spent over $150,000* for those players will come out of the bonus pool. These dynamics are why you will often see college seniors with little leverage sign for significantly less than slot value in rounds 5-10, and high school players with more leverage sign for larger amounts after the 10th round. For example, in 2022 the Angels signed Michigan outfielder Joe Stewart—who was 24 years old—for just $7,500 and then signed high school righthander Caden Dana—who had a commitment to Kentucky—for $1,497,500.

Teams will sign players for less than slot values and put those “savings” toward other, more expensive players.

Below are the slot values for the first 10 rounds. The draft order could still change based on additional supplemental picks being assigned, though we will update this order if that happens.

*Editor's note: We previously cited a $125,000 figure. That is incorrect and was the figure under the previous CBA. It has since been increased to a $150,000 limit in the most recent CBA. We apologize for the error.

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