SF Giants have sixth-lowest bonus pool in 2025 MLB draft

The 2025 MLB draft is still a few months away, but some details are being solidified. On Wednesday, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline confirmed the bonus pools for each team, with the SF Giants having the sixth-lowest in baseball at $8.4 million.

SF Giants have sixth-lowest bonus pool in 2025 MLB draft

Every pick through the first 10 rounds has an assigned slot value that increases annually. For example, the slot value for this year's top pick is $11 million, up from $10.5 million for the first pick last year.

Each team's bonus pool consists of the slot values for the picks they hold through the first 10 rounds. For the Giants, they have a pick in every round, except for the second and fifth round.

The Giants crossed the $237 million Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) threshold in 2024, which has consequences even if MLB does not have a hard salary cap. Generally, if a team crosses the CBT threshold and signs a player who rejects a qualifying offer, they lose their second-and-fifth-highest picks and $1 million in next year's international free agent cycle.

This came to fruition when the Giants signed Willy Adames to a seven-year deal in the offseason. The Milwaukee Brewers issued him a qualifying offer that he rejected. That penalty can be a deterrent for some free agents, but when it is a long-term deal, teams expect to realize more value from the player they sign than the draft and signing capital they forfeit.

So, if you are wondering why the Giants have such a low bonus pool, it is a combination of crossing the CBT threshold in 2024 and signing Adames.

They hold the 13th pick in this year's draft, which carries a slot value of $5.5 million, or about 65 percent of the team's total bonus pool. In recent years, the Giants have typically gone with underslot players in the first round to have more money available later in the draft. It remains to be seen if they will continue to do that with Buster Posey in charge of the front office.

While the Giants have $8.4 million available to spend, they can exceed that number by five percent, or up to $8.8 million, while only paying a tax on the overage.

Draft picks after the 10th round do not have a recommended slot value. Teams can hand out bonuses of up to $150,000 without it counting against the bonus pool. Any amount above that gets factored in.