Unlike the draft in most professional sports leagues, the Major League Baseball draft is just as much about money as it is talent.
Every draft slot is assigned a value, which is the projected signing bonus that a player should receive. Each team has a bonus pool, which is the sum of the assigned slot values for all of their picks.
MLB teams can get as creative as they choose with bonus pool by giving draftees underslot or overslot contracts, but teams cannot exceed their pool value.
It's an aspect of the MLB Draft that often gets overlooked, and for the Los Angeles Dodgers, it has never been more relevant than in 2025.
The 2025 Dodgers will have more to spend on drafted players than ever before. That's a nightmare for the rest of the league.
Dodgers pool boosted by Gavin Lux trade
A big reason for the Dodgers having such a large bonus pool to play with this year is because they have a full slate of draft picks. Los Angeles did not forfeit any selections. In fact, they picked up an extra draft pick in an offseason trade.
The Dodgers struck gold when they trade infielder Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds during the offseason.
Outfield prospect Mike Sirota was in the return. He is batting .333 with a 1.068 OPS in the minor leagues this season. The Dodgers also got Cincinnati's Competitive Balance Round A pick, which is the 41st overall selection in the 2025 MLB Draft.
The Dodgers would have normally had the 30th overall pick in the first round after winning the World Series, but their pick was dropped 10 slots for exceeding the third competitive balance tax threshold. That's something that happens fairly consistently to a team like Los Angeles that spends big in free agency.
It makes sense that the Dodgers have their largest bonus pool ever with an additional pick this year,.
Trading Lux really makes up for the usual 10-slot loss, with the Dodgers now having back-to-back selections at 40 and 41 that they can get creative with.
The Dodgers have roughly $9.37 million to spend on draft picks this year. It's a below-average figure, but given L.A.'s consistent ability to identify undervalued talent, the 2025 MLB Draft is setting up to be a home run for the Dodgers.