Major League Baseball has planned the draft at the same time as the All-Star Game, which will occur the following week. The 2023 MLB draft begins on Sunday, and the Dodgers have the 36th overall pick just after the first round.
As a result of being penalized 10 spots for exceeding the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million in 2022, the Dodgers' first-round selection is comparatively low.
Only three times in the past 100 years have the Dodgers selected a high school position player with their first choice: James Loney at pick No. 19 overall in 2002, Corey Seager at pick No. 18 in 2012, and Gavin Lux at pick No. 20 in 2016.
The recommended slot value for the No. 36 choice in 2023 is $2,362,700. This year, the Dodgers' draft bonus pool totals over $7.27 million.
How much money can be spent during the MLB draft pickups?
A fixed value is assigned to each draft slot in the first 10 rounds. The bonus pool for each squad is determined by adding these amounts. To sign players in the top 10 rounds, teams must exceed their bonus pools without paying a cost (such as a tax on the excess or the loss of future picks).
The 11th through 20th rounds are where things change. The picks have no assigned slot values. In the second round of the draft, teams can spend up to $150,000 on a single pick without worrying about depleting their bonus fund. However, the extra $150,000 is deducted from the bonus pool if they exceed that limit. The player's pick value is subtracted from the team's bonus pool if a team doesn't sign them in the first 10 rounds. This is called a caveat.
With a bonus pool of $16,185,700, the Pirates have the largest. The pool is the largest by $438,500. The Tigers, who were chosen third, are in second place with $15,747,200. With $14,502,400, the Nationals are in third place. The Philadelphia Phillies ($5,185,500) have the lowest budget to spend in the first 10 rounds.