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Over at the most excellent Baseball America, J.J. Cooper has published the signing bonus pools for all 30 teams in advance of the June draft. Here's the top 10 ...
| Team | 2014 Signing Bonus Pool |
| Miami Marlins | $14,199,300 |
| Houston Astros | $13,362,200 |
| Chicago White Sox | $9,509,700 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | $9,458,500 |
| Kansas City Royals | $8,602,900 |
| Chicago Cubs | $8,352,200 |
| Colorado Rockies | $8,347,300 |
| Cleveland Indians | $8,234,100 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | $7,605,600 |
| Minnesota Twins | $7,525,600 |
As noted in the headline, the Orioles, with a bonus pool of just more than $2.2 million, will have the fewest bucks to spend on their picks. Click through for the full list of all 30 bonus pools.
MLB prior to the 2012 draft instituted a "hard slotting" system in which each pick is assigned a maximum bonus. Teams can exceed the figure for a given pick, but they can't go past their total bonus pools -- i.e., the numbers you see above -- without penalty.
Speaking of penalties, here's how those work:
- Team exceeds its bonus pool by 0-5 percent: 75 percent tax on overage;
- Team exceeds its bonus pool by between more than five percent and up to 10 percent: loss of a first-round pick and 75 percent tax on overage;
- Team exceeds its bonus pool by between more than 10 percent but less than 15 percent: lose first- and second-round picks and pay 100 percent tax on overage;
- Team exceeds its bonus pool by 15 percent or more: lose two first-round picks and pay 100 percent tax on overage.
The top overall pick of 2014, which belongs to the Astros, is assigned a value of $7,922,100. Last year, the Astros had the largest overall pool, with a figure of $11,698,800. As expected, this year's pool is substantially higher.
As for the 2014 draft order, River Avenue Blues has the full listing.
