OAKLAND -- The A's have orchestrated a handful of trades in recent years that have netted them an abundance of promising young talent. Now they'll look to add to that collection when they pinpoint potential future stars in the MLB Draft.
The 2018 Draft will take place on today through Wednesday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com today at 3 p.m. PT.
MLB Network will broadcast the first 43 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 78 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, with a preview show beginning at 9:30 a.m. PT. Then, Rounds 11-40 can be heard live on MLB.com on Day 3, beginning at 9 a.m. PT.
:: 2018 Draft coverage ::
Go to MLB.com/draft to see the Top 200 Prospects list, projected top picks from MLB Pipeline analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the complete order of selection and more. And follow @MLBDraft on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying.
Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the A's, whose first selection is the ninth overall pick.
In about 50 words
The A's have more homegrown talent populating their roster than ever before, a nod to the work clocked by the club's scouts in the last decade. They're responsible for Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Chad Pinder, among others, and will soon seek more gems in this year's Draft.
The scoop
This will be scouting director Eric Kubota's 17th year overseeing the A's efforts in the Draft. Last year, his team assembled a strong class that presented a mix of raw prep talent and collegiate players. They gambled on high-ceiling teenage outfielder Austin Beck with their first pick at No. 6 overall, and could again take a risk on a prep player this go-round.

First-round buzz
MLB.com Draft experts say Oakland "looks destined to take a position player" -- though prep lefty Matthew Liberatore could change that. Callis has the A's taking South Alabama outfielder Travis Swaggerty in his latest mock draft. The athletic Swaggerty, he says, "has some of the best all-around tools" and could stick in center field.

Money matters
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.
Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax, plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.
The A's have been assigned a pool of $9,553,200, which ranks 10th in the Majors. The value assigned to Oakland's first-round pick is $4,761,500.
Shopping list
The mantra remains the same for essentially all clubs this time of year: take the best available player. Needs are always changing, so organizational holes aren't necessarily prioritized in the Draft -- particularly in the early stages.
Trend watch
The A's Draft selections have skewed heavily toward the collegiate ranks. Last year's haul included 32 college players, though Beck became just the fourth high school player selected by the A's with the top pick in the past 21 years.
Rising fast
The A's snagged Wright State University catcher Sean Murphy in the third round of the 2016 Draft and have since watched him swiftly move up the ranks. Murphy is swinging a hot bat with Double-A Midland and continuing to display plus defensive skills behind the plate. Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the A's No. 6 prospect, Murphy will likely land in Triple-A soon and could potentially be in consideration for a starting big league job as soon as 2019.
Cinderella story
Right-hander James Naile was a 20th-round selection of the A's in the 2012 Draft out of the University of Alabama-Birmingham and is now ranked by MLB Pipeline as the organization's No. 24 prospect. Naile has been superb for Triple-A Nashville and could very well earn a promotion this season to help an injury-ridden Oakland rotation.
In The Show
Nine members of the current 40-man roster were originally A's Draft selections: Trevor Cahill (2006, 2nd round), Chapman (2014, 1st round), Ryan Dull (2012, 32nd round), Daniel Gossett (2014, 2nd round), Bruce Maxwell (2012, 2nd round), Olson (2012, 1st round), Pinder (2013, 2nd round), Blake Treinen (2011, 7th round), Lou Trivino (2013, 11th round).
The A's recent top picks
2017: Austin Beck, OF (Class A Beloit)
2016: A.J. Puk, LHP (Injured)
2015: Richie Martin, SS (Double-A Midland)
2014: Chapman, 3B (Oakland A's)
2013: Billy McKinney, OF (Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre, New York Yankees)