Marlins lead near-record Draft spending
Teams combined to spend $222,809,919 on Draft bonuses in 2014, the second-highest total ever and the most under the revamped rules that came into play two years ago. The record of $228,009,050 was set in 2011, the final year of the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, when clubs guaranteed another $8.05 million in salaries as part of big league contracts.
Had the Astros signed Aiken, a new industry bonus standard would have been set. The two sides agreed to a $6.5 million bonus before a post-Draft physical raised concerns about Aiken's elbow, and he declined Houston's final revised offer of slightly more than $5 million.
When the Astros couldn't sign Aiken, they rescinded a $1.5 million agreement with Nix. Under the Draft rules, the assigned pick value for unsigned players is removed from a team's bonus pool. Had Houston paid Nix $1.5 million without getting credit for Aiken's pick value ($7,922,100), it would have exceeded its allotment by more than 15 percent, triggering the loss its next two first-round choices as a penalty.
The Marlins led all teams with a franchise-record $13,112,900 in bonuses, including $6 million for No. 2 overall choice Tyler Kolek. That's the fourth-highest total in Draft history -- the Pirates established the mark with $17,005,700 in 2011 -- and the most ever under the current CBA. The White Sox ranked second this year with $10,460,600, including $6,582,000 for No. 3 pick Carlos Rodon, and also set a new franchise standard.
Miami and Chicago's Drafts became the 26th and 27th ever to top $10 million in bonuses, all of which have come since 2008.
Below is a complete list of team-by-team total spending on the 2014 Draft. The Original Pool column indicates each club's allotment for the first 10 rounds before any subtractions for unsigned players, relating its relative spending power, while Spent Vs. Pool shows how much it took advantage of that spending power.
No team exceeded its adjusted pool by more than 5 percent, which would have triggered the loss of a future first-round selection. The Nationals outspent their allotment by exactly 5 percent, while the Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Mariners, Pirates, Rangers, Rays and White Sox came close to the threshold.
Half of the 30 clubs surpassed their pools, triggering a 75-percent tax penalty on their overages. They'll combine to pay $2,676,914 in Draft taxes to be distributed among teams that are eligible for revenue sharing and didn't exceed their allotment.
Team Signees Bonuses Original Pool Spent Vs. PoolMarlins 33 $13,112,900 $12,741,700 102.9%White Sox 32 $10,460,600 $9,509,700 110.0%Royals 32 $9,888,700 $8,602,900 114.9%Cubs 27 $9,783,000 $8,352,200 117.1%Indians 30 $9,317,800 $8,234,100 113.2%Blue Jays 28 $9,308,700 $9,458,500 98.4%Rockies 31 $8,853,800 $8,347,300 106.1%Diamondbacks 31 $8,357,900 $7,228,300 115.6%Mariners 36 $8,237,500 $6,767,900 121.7%Pirates 32 $8,186,400 $7,063,700 115.9%Brewers 26 $8,102,300 $7,605,600 106.5%Twins 30 $8,067,600 $7,525,600 107.2%Reds 28 $7,929,900 $6,973,400 113.7%Red Sox 31 $7,814,800 $6,373,300 122.6%Cardinals 28 $7,613,800 $7,087,200 107.4%Giants 23 $7,275,900 $5,949,800 122.3%Phillies 28 $7,187,800 $6,896,700 104.2%Rays 37 $7,141,319 $5,848,400 122.1%Padres 30 $6,637,600 $6,098,600 108.8%Mets 28 $6,488,800 $5,308,300 122.2%Angels 34 $6,387,500 $5,774,000 110.6%Astros 36 $6,154,500 $13,362,200 46.1%Rangers 27 $6,089,200 $4,820,700 126.3%Dodgers 33 $5,901,100 $4,947,700 119.3%Tigers 31 $5,405,300 $4,890,200 110.5%Athletics 25 $5,386,000 $4,778,300 112.7%Nationals 28 $5,188,600 $5,275,700 98.3%Braves 27 $5,069,800 $4,557,700 111.2%Yankees 26 $4,050,200 $3,202,300 126.5%Orioles 31 $3,410,600 $2,204,400 154.7%Total 899 $222,809,919 $205,786,400 108.3%