MLB Draft Signing bonus for every round: How much do players make after being signed?

Every MLB team has a set amount they can spend as bonuses to convince the players they draft to sign with them.

In 2024, the Cleveland Guardians have the largest signing bonus pool among all the 30 teams: $18,334,000. Meanwhile, the Houston Astros have the smallest pool, with only $5,914,700 million to spend during the draft.

Let's look at the range of signing bonus pools per round in the MLB Draft 2024:

Pick 1-39: $10,570,600 - $2,395,000 (First Round)
Pick 40-74: $2,332,100 - $1,060,300 (Second Round)
Pick 75-103: $1,043,900 - $710,400 (Third Round)
Pick 104-136: $703,400 - $515,100 (Fourth Round)
Pick 137-165: $510,000 - $388,700 (Fifth Round)
Pick 166-195: $385,500 - $302,700 (Sixth Round)
Pick 196-225: $300,200 - $238,900 (Seventh Round)
Pick 226-255: $237,400 - $202,000 (Eighth Round)
Pick 256-285: $201,300 - $187,100 (Ninth Round)
Pick 286-315: $186,400 - $178,800 (Tenth Round)

This year, 18 teams have seven-figure bonus pools, with the Colorado Rockies at $17,243,400, Cincinnati Reds at $15,842,100, and the Oakland Athletics at $15,347,900 above the $15 million mark besides the Guardians.

The No. 1 pick, second baseman Travis Bazzana, was valued at $10.57 million, even though details about the signing bonus are still not known.

What happens if any team exceeds the signing bonus limit?

Teams face a progressive penalty system if they exceed the bonus signing limit, triggering a tax or even the loss of valuable draft picks. In 2023, 22 teams exceeded their bonus pools.

The Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers and Giants have been known to exceed their limits, the Rockies and the Twins are among the teams that have always played it safe.

Most of the players get paid as per the team's predetermined bonus pools, but there are always some negotiations that come into play, which could increase or reduce this amount.