More success on the field means a smaller draft bonus pool.
The Royals improved by 30 games last year and made the playoffs, but that success will cost them a bit in the draft.
MLB announced draft slot values today, as reported by MLB Pipeline. The Royals will have a total of $12,794,700 in their draft bonus pool, the 11th-highest total in baseball, down from last year when they had the 4th-largest bonus pool. Baseball assigns bonus amounts for each slot, which can be pooled together by teams to allocate how they see fit among their draft selection in the first ten rounds.
The Royals won’t have a selection until pick #23, which has an assigned slot value of $3,852,100. They also have the #28 overall pick due to Bobby Witt Jr. finishing second in MVP voting under the “Prospect Promotion Incentive”. The Royals select again at #61 for their second round pick, and #71 for their competitive balance pick.
Last year, the Royals selected Jac Caglianone with the #6 overall pick and paid him a $7.5 million bonus, slightly over slot.
The Mariners have the top bonus pool at just over $17 million followed by the Rays, Angels, and Nationals, who won the draft lottery and will have the #1 overall pick. The 2025 MLB Draft will take place July 13-14 in Atlanta during All-Star Week.