Here are the 2020 Draft pools and bonus values

May 29th, 2020

The Tigers and Orioles own the top two picks and the largest bonus pools in the 2020 Draft. While Detroit will make the first selection, Baltimore has slightly more spending power.

The Tigers' No. 1 overall choice comes with an assigned value of $8,415,300, compared to $7,789,900 for the Orioles' No. 2 overall pick. But Baltimore has a significantly higher competitive balance pick (No. 30 versus No. 62), moving its bonus pool slightly ahead of Detroit's.

As part of the negotiations for a 2020 season radically altered by the coronavirus, the MLB Players Association agreed to allow MLB to shorten the Draft to as few as five rounds. MLB elected to do so, and the Orioles will have the highest bonus pool at $13,894,300, followed by the Tigers at $13,325,700.

Originally, the assigned values for each selection were supposed to rise 3.5 percent, reflecting the increase in MLB's annual revenues. The MLBPA agreed to allow MLB to freeze those values at the 2019 numbers for both the 2020 and 2021 Drafts.

The Royals ($12,521,300), Marlins ($12,016,900), Pirates ($11,154,500), Padres ($10,674,000), Rockies ($10,339,700) and Mariners ($10,265,500) also have eight-figure bonus pools. The Astros, who lost their first- and second-round choices as part of their penalty for sign stealing, have the smallest pool at $2,202,600 in a five-round Draft.

Each pick in the five rounds comes with an assigned value, with the total for each of a team's selections equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in those rounds doesn't sign, his pick's value gets subtracted from his club's pool. The pools for all 30 teams will total $235,906,800, an average of $7,863,560 per club.

Last year, the industry spent a record $316,560,984 on Draft bonuses, including $55,896,284 after the 10th round. Total spending will drop significantly in 2020 with a much shorter Draft and a $20,000 limit on bonuses for non-drafted free agents. The MLBPA also agreed to let teams pay players no more than $100,000 up front, meaning they can defer at least $219.9 million, with half that amount being paid on July 1, 2021 and the other half on July 1, 2022.

Since the bonus pool era began in 2012, no player has signed for more than the record $8.1 million Adley Rutschman received from the Orioles as the No. 1 overall selection last year. Teams near the top of the Draft often spend less than their full allotment for those choices and use the savings to spend more on later selections, though such maneuvering would be more difficult than usual in a five-round Draft.

If a club exceeds its assigned pool, it faces a penalty. Teams 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.

In eight years with these rules, teams have exceeded their allotments a total of 149 times but never by more than 5 percent. Twenty-one of the 30 teams outspent their pools last year.

Here are the bonus pools for all 30 clubs:

Orioles: $13,894,300
Tigers: $13,325,700
Royals: $12,521,300
Marlins: $12,016,900
Pirates: $11,154,500
Padres: $10,674,000
Rockies: $10,339,700
Mariners: $10,265,500
Blue Jays: $9,716,500
Giants: $9,231,800
Reds: $8,552,100
Cardinals: $7,901,100
White Sox: $7,764,800
Indians: $7,662,800
Rays: $7,474,600
Diamondbacks: $7,184,900
Mets: $7,174,700
Rangers: $7,083,900
Cubs: $6,721,600
Nationals: $6,647,700
Angels: $6,397,100
Brewers: $6,078,300
Dodgers: $5,928,400
Phillies: $5,444,200
Athletics: $5,241,500
Red Sox: $5,129,900
Twins: $4,528,600
Braves: $4,127,800
Yankees: $3,520,000
Astros: $2,202,600

Here are the assigned values for each pick:

First Round

  1. Tigers: $8,415,300
  2. Orioles: $7,789,900
  3. Marlins: $7,221,200
  4. Royals: $6,664,000
  5. Blue Jays: $6,180,700
  6. Mariners: $5,742,900
  7. Pirates: $5,432,400
  8. Padres: $5,176,900
  9. Rockies: $4,949,100
  10. Angels: $4,739,900
  11. White Sox: $4,547,500
  12. Reds: $4,366,400
  13. Giants: $4,197,300
  14. Rangers: $4,036,800
  15. Phillies: $3,885,800
  16. Cubs: $3,745,500
  17. Red Sox: $3,609,700
  18. D-backs: $3,481,300
  19. Mets: $3,359,000
  20. Brewers: $3,242,900
  21. Cardinals: $3,132,300
  22. Nationals: $3,027,000
  23. Indians: $2,926,800
  24. Rays: $2,831,300
  25. Braves: $2,740,300
  26. Athletics: $2,653,400
  27. Twins: $2,570,100
  28. Yankees: $2,493,900
  29. Dodgers: $2,424,600

Competitive Balance Round A
30) Orioles: $2,365,500
31) Pirates: $2,312,000
32) Royals: $2,257,300
33) D-backs: $2,202,200
34) Padres: $2,148,100
35) Rockies: $2,095,800
36) Indians: $2,045,400
37) Rays: $1,999,300 (from Cardinals via trade)

Second Round
(The Red Sox lost their second-round pick as part of their penalty for stealing signs)
38) Tigers: $1,952,300
39) Orioles: $1,906,800
40) Marlins: $1,856,700
41) Royals: $1,813,500
42) Blue Jays: $1,771,100
43) Mariners: $1,729,800
44) Pirates: $1,689,500
45) Padres: $1,650,200
46) Rockies: $1,617,400
47) White Sox: $1,580,200
48) Reds: $1,543,600
49) Giants: $1,507,600
50) Rangers: $1,469,900
51) Cubs: $1,436,900
52) Mets: $1,403,200
53) Brewers: $1,370,400
54) Cardinals $1,338,500
55) Nationals: $1,307,000
56) Indians: $1,276,400
57) Rays: $1,243,600
58) Athletics: $1,214,300
59) Twins: $1,185,500
60) Dodgers: $1,157,400

Competitive Balance Round B
61) Marlins: $1,129,700
62) Tigers: $1,102,700
63) Cardinals: $1,076,300 (from Rays via trade)
64) Mariners: $1,050,300 (from Brewers via trade)
65) Reds: $1,025,100
66) Dodgers: $1,003,300 (from Twins via trade)

Free-Agent Compensation Picks
67) Giants: $976,700 (for Madison Bumgarner)
68) Giants: $953,100 (for Will Smith)
69) Mets: $929,800 (for Zack Wheeler)
70) Cardinals: $906,800 (for Marcell Ozuna)
71) Nationals: $884,200 (for Anthony Rendon)
72) Astros: $870,700 (for Gerrit Cole)

Third Round
73) Tigers: $857,400
74) Orioles: $844,200
75) Marlins: $831,100
76) Royals: $818,200
77) Blue Jays: $805,600
78) Mariners: $793,000
79) Pirates: $780,400
80) Padres: $767,800
81) Rockies: $755,300
82) Angels: $744,200
83) White Sox: $733,100
84) Reds: $721,900
85) Giants: $710,700
86) Rangers: $699,700
87) Phillies: $689,300
88) Cubs: $678,600
89) Red Sox: $667,900
90) D-backs: $657,600
91) Mets: $647,300
92) Brewers: $637,600
93) Cardinals: $627,900
94) Nationals: $618,200
95) Indians: $610,800
96) Rays: $604,800
97) Braves: $599,100
98) Athletics: $593,100
99) Yankees: $587,400
100) Dodgers: $581,600
101) Astros: $577,000

Fourth Round
102) Tigers: $571,400
103) Orioles: $565,600
104) Marlins: $560,000
105) Royals: $554,300
106) Blue Jays: $549,000
107) Mariners: $543,500
108) Pirates: $538,200
109) Padres: $533,000
110) Rockies: $527,800
111) Angels: $522,600
112) White Sox: $517,400
113) Reds: $512,400
114) Giants: $507,400
115) Rangers: $502,300
116) Phillies: $497,500
117) Cubs: $492,700
118) Red Sox: $487,900
119) D-backs: $483,000
120) Mets: $478,300
121) Brewers: $473,700
122) Cardinals: $469,000
123) Nationals: $464,500
124) Indians: $460,000
125) Rays: $455,600
126) Braves: $451,800
127) Athletics: $447,400
128) Twins: $442,900
129) Yankees: $438,700
130) Dodgers: $434,300
131) Astros: $430,800

Fifth Round
132) Tigers: $426,600
133) Orioles: $422,300
134) Marlins: $418,200
135) Royals: $414,000
136) Blue Jays: $410,100
137) Mariners: $406,000
138) Pirates: $402,000
139) Padres: $398,000
140) Rockies: $394,300
141) Angels: $390,400
142) White Sox: $386,600
143) Reds: $382,700
144) Giants: $379,000
145) Rangers: $375,200
146) Phillies: $371,600
147) Cubs: $367,900
148) Red Sox: $364,400
149) D-backs: $360,800
150) Mets: $357,100
151) Brewers: $353,700
152) Cardinals: $350,300
153) Nationals: $346,800
154) Indians: $343,400
155) Rays: $340,000
156) Braves: $336,600
157) Athletics: $333,300
158) Twins: $330,100
159) Dodgers: $327,200
160) Astros: $324,100