How Do Slots Work in the MLB Draft?

The Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft is an exciting time for baseball fans and players alike. Every year, teams have the opportunity to select new talent and add them to their rosters. But how do slots work in the MLB Draft?

First, it’s important to understand that the MLB Draft is a closed draft. This means that teams are not allowed to trade draft picks with one another. Instead, draft picks are assigned based on a team’s record from the previous season.

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The team with the worst record in the previous season will receive the first pick in the draft. The team with the second-worst record will receive the second pick, and so on.

The number of picks each team receives is determined by a number of factors, including their overall record and whether or not they received a qualifying offer from a free agent who signed with another team.

Once the order of picks has been established, teams are given a set amount of money that they can use to sign their draft picks. This money is known as “bonus pool money.”

Each slot in the draft comes with an assigned value in bonus pool money. The value of these slots increases as you move up through the draft order.

For example, in 2021, the first overall pick in the MLB Draft had an assigned slot value of $8,415,300. The second overall pick had an assigned slot value of $7,789,900.

Teams can choose to spend more or less than their assigned bonus pool money for each individual pick. If they go over their allotted bonus pool money for all of their picks combined, they will face penalties such as fines or forfeiting future draft picks.

In addition to assigning slots and bonus pool money values to each pick, there are also other rules that govern how teams can use their picks.

For example, teams must make a selection before they can move on to their next pick. If they fail to make a selection, they forfeit that pick.

There are also rules around trading draft picks. While teams cannot trade draft picks directly, they can trade the bonus pool money that comes along with each pick. This allows teams to move up or down in the draft order if they so choose.

In conclusion, slots in the MLB Draft are assigned based on a team’s record from the previous season. Each slot comes with an assigned value in bonus pool money, which teams can choose to spend more or less than for each individual pick. There are also other rules around how teams can use their picks and trade draft-related assets.