2013 MLB Draft: Bonus Pool

Jim Callis over at Baseball America posted a handy chart this morning with a breakdown of the bonus money available to teams to spend for the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft. The bonus pool has increased by over eight percent compared to 2013, with a grand total of $202,501,600 available for teams to invest in amateur (pardon me, "first year") players.

The Houston Astros top the list with $11,698,800 available for their first 10 picks in the first 10 rounds, followed by the Chicago Cubs at $10,556,500 (10 picks in 10 rounds) and the Colorado Rockies at $10,199,400 (11 in 10) and the Miami Marlins at $9,503,100 (12 picks). You can see the Top Ten bonus pools at MLBDaily Dish, and Callis has the complete chart (not behind the subscriber wall) at BA.

At the bottom of the list, we find the Los Angeles Angels at just $2,998,200 and the Washington Nationals at a mere $2,737,200. The Angels don't exactly have a good farm system right now; the Nationals are in better shape. It will be interesting to see how the respective scouting department handle the limits.

The bonus pools cover first top 10 rounds. In rounds 11 through 40, a team can spend $100,000 on a player without counting it against the limit. If a player doesn’t sign in the first 10 rounds, his assigned value is removed from the team’s monetary pool. A 75% tax is applied if a team exceeds the bonus pool by five percent or less. Over five percent, the team loses a first-round pick, with escalating penalties from there.