What is a slot draft? Explaining MLB system, values, pool money for MLB Draft

John Leuzzi Paste BN NETWORK

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It's draft day in Major League Baseball.

Over the next two days down in Atlanta, nearly 300 draft-eligible players will be selected by 30 different MLB teams in the 2025 MLB Draft in hopes of being that next up-and-coming star like Bryce Harper or Bobby Witt Jr. or Paul Skenes and be that missing piece to a World Series championship puzzle.

In recent years, the draft has become a spectacle, as it has bounced around from one All-Star Game city to another. But amid all that, the draft hasn't lost its touch or complexity for those at home to understand the ins and outs of it, as it is the longest draft among the four professional sports.

That complexity has to do with the strategy MLB executives will be using to select and sign their picks, as the MLB draft is a strict slot draft through the first 10 rounds. It really puts scouting to the next level and turns the draft into a game of Monopoly of sorts for teams with a set pool of money at their disposal.

Here's what to know about the MLB draft, why it is a slot draft and more:

What is a slot draft?

In short, a slot draft, such as the MLB draft, is when picks in the draft have a specific pre-determined slot value associated with them. The slot values for the draft are determined by Major League Baseball each year by matching growth in revenue sharing and are assigned to every pick for the first 10 rounds of the draft.

However, just because there is a pre-determined slot value for each pick, that doesn't mean a team has to sign that player to that value. How so? Well, like free agency, teams negotiate a deal with their draft picks and can sign them to a lower value. If a team signs one of its picks to a lower number than the pick's value, that team can use that remaining pool money for another one of its picks.

Noted by MLB.com, a team can be penalized for exceeding its overall slot value and bonus pool money:

A club outspending its allotment by 0-5% pays a 75% tax on the overage;
At higher thresholds, a team loses future picks:
- A first-rounder and a 75% tax for surpassing its pool by more than 5 and up to 10%
- A first- and a second-rounder and a 100% tax for more than 10 and up to 15%
- Two first-rounders and a 100% tax for more than 15%

How much does No. 1 overall pick in 2025 MLB Draft make?

According to MLB.com's Jim Callis, the No. 1 overall pick to the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft has an estimated slot value of $11,075,900, which is an increase of $505,300 more than what it was valued for last year when the Cleveland Guardians took Travis Bazzana.

Here's a breakdown of how much past No. 1 overall pick was worth in each of the last two years according to MLB.com:

2023: 9,721,000 (Pittsburgh Pirates signed Paul Skenes for $9.2 million)
2024: $10, 570,600 (Cleveland Guardians signed Travis Bazzana for $8.95 million)

MLB draft first round slot values

Here are the slot values for each of the first 32 picks — Round 1, Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick and Free-Agent Compensation Picks — of the 2025 MLB Draft, courtesy of MLB.com:

Washington Nationals: $11,075,900 *
Los Angeles Angels: $10,252,700 *
Seattle Mariners: $9,504,400 *
Colorado Rockies: $8,770,900 *
St. Louis Cardinals: $8,134,800 *
Pittsburgh Pirates: $7,558,600 *
Miami Marlins: $7,149,900 *
Toronto Blue Jays: $6,813,600 *
Cincinnati Reds: $6,513,800 *
Chicago White Sox: $6,238,400 *
Athletics: $5,985,100 *
Texas Rangers: $5,746,800 *
San Francisco Giants: $5,524,300 *
Tampa Bay Rays: $5,313,100 *
Boston Red Sox: $5,114,200 *
Minnesota Twins: $4,929,600 *
Chicago Cubs: $4,750,800 *
Arizona Diamondbacks: $4,581,900 *
Baltimore Orioles: $4,420,900 *
Milwaukee Brewers: $4,268,100 *
Houston Astros: $4,122,500 *
Atlanta Braves: $3,983,900 *
Kansas City Royals: $3,852,100 *
Detroit Tigers: $3,726,300 *
San Diego Padres: $3,606,600 *
Philadelphia Phillies: $3,492,200 *
Cleveland Guardians: $3,382,600 *
Kansas City Royals: $3,282,200 **
Arizona Diamondbacks: $3,191,100 ***
Baltimore Orioles: $3,113,300 ***
Baltimore Orioles: $3,042,800 ***
Milwaukee Brewers: $2,970,900 ***

* Denotes First Round Pick

** Denotes Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick

** Denotes Free-Agent Compensation Pick

Click here to view the slot values for remaining picks through Round 10.

MLB draft 2025 pool money

Among the 30 MLB teams, the Seattle Mariners enter the 2025 MLB Draft with the highest pool money — slot and bonus pool values for the first 10 rounds — at $17,074,400, which is the fourth-highest total pool money since the pool bonus-pool era began in 2012.

The New York Yankees have the smallest pool among all 30 teams at $5,383,600. The Yankees were originally slated to pick at No. 28 in the first round but fell to No. 38 in the second round after going into the second luxury tax threshold of the competitive balance tax with their free agency signing of Max Fried.

Here's a full breakdown of pool money for all 30 MLB teams in the 2025 MLB Draft, per MLB.com:

Seattle Mariners: $17,074,400
Tampa Bay Rays: $16,699,400
Los AngelesAngels: $16,656,400
Washington Nationals: $16,597,800
Baltimore Orioles: $16,513,100
Colorado Rockies: $15,723,400
Miami Marlins: $15,187,400
St. Louis Cardinals: $14,238,300
Pittsburgh Pirates: $14,088,400
Milwaukee Brewers: $13,138,100
Kansas City Royals: $12,794,700
Minnesota Twins: $12,653,000
Boston Red Sox: $12,409,300
Chicago White Sox: $12,169,100
Cincinnati Reds: $11,836,800
Texas Rangers: $10,991,300
Detroit Tigers: $10,990,800
Arizona Diamondbacks: $10,917,800
Athletics: $10,563,500
Toronto Blue Jays: $10,314,600
Cleveland Guardians: $10,198,100
Chicago Cubs: $9,636,800
Atlanta Braves: $9,081,100
Los Angeles Dodgers: $9,031,300
San Francisco Giants: $8,403,300
Philadelphia Phillies: $7,849,400
Houston Astros: $7,181,500
San Diego Padres: $6,569,100
New York Mets: $5,465,900
New York Yankees: $5,383,600

MLB draft first round order 2025

Here's the full first-round order of picks for the MLB draft:

* Denotes Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick

** Denotes Free Agent Compensation Pick

Note: The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and New York Yankees don't have a first-round pick due to receiving a 10-pick penalty on their first picks for exceeding the second tax threshold of the competitive balance tax

MLB draft schedule 2025

The 2025 MLB Draft will be split up into two days, July 13 and July 14. Rounds 1 through 3 — including competitive balance rounds, compensation picks and prospect promotion incentive picks — will take place on July 13 at the Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, with the remaining 16 rounds taking place on July 14.

Here's a full look at the 2025 MLB Draft schedule:

July 13: Rounds 1 through 3 (including competitive balance rounds, compensation picks and prospect promotion incentive picks) | 6 p.m. ET
July 14: Rounds 4 through 20 | 11:30 a.m. ET

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