The 2025 MLB Draft concluded on Monday night in Atlanta, with the Yankees making 19 selections in the 20-round draft. That’s a pretty typical number, as normal draft picks are prohibited from being traded, but the picks themselves had the collective worst value of all 30 teams.
Because of MLB’s slot value system, the Yankees can only spend $5,383,000 on their 19 draftees, the lowest of any team and lower than the slot values of the top 13 picks in the first round. For example, the No. 1 pick, Eli
Willits, has a slot value of a mind-boggling $11,080,000, over double what the Yankees can use for their entire class.
Another bonus pool note:
— Andersen Pickard (@AndersenPickard) July 10, 2025
The #Yankees only have $5,383,600 in bonus pool space for the full MLB Draft.
Their entire spending allotment for all 20 rounds is smaller than the individual slot value for each of the draft’s first 13 picks.
Same goes for #Mets at $5,465,900.
Now, Yankees can technically spend whatever they want, but any team that goes over their allotted amount is severely punished. If the Yankees were to go just 5% over their bonus pool, only $5.66 million in total, they would have their 2026 first-round pick taken away. So, obviously, it’s not worth it unless you’re willing to go all-out and spend tens of millions, something that Jeff Passan once theorized being worth it for a big market team.
But why do the Yankees have such a tiny pool? It makes sense why they’re towards the back, but why are they beneath the Dodgers and Mets, who both spend more and went deep in the 2024 postseason? The reasons are related to bad timing, spending, and CBA quirks that promote competitive balance.
Notice how I said they only had 19 picks in 20 rounds? That’s because the Yankees lost their second-round pick (along with a compensatory fourth) due to signing Max Fried. The CBA, which was fiercely fought over prior to the 2022 season, kept in place the qualifying offer system, a system the MLBPA fought to eliminate, that punished teams for signing premium free agents, while compensating teams who lost them. In a vacuum, it’s a fair system, but it creates some imbalances.
Take Juan Soto, who signed the richest free agent contract in the history of U.S. professional sports by inking a 15-year, $765 million deal with the crosstown rival Mets in December. As he was tendered a qualifying offer (valued at around one-year, $21 million), the Yankees received compensation. However, due to their status as a luxury tax payer, their compensation was merely a compensatory fourth-round pick, which would’ve landed at No. 137. However, due to signing Fried to a deal almost four times smaller than Soto’s deal with the Mets, they lost their second and fifth-highest selections, which wiped out the pick.
The Dodgers did not sign a player this offseason with a qualifying offer (Blake Snell was not eligible for one) and the Mets made all of their picks one before the Yankees due to losing in the NLCs last year, hence why both have larger pools.
Those three teams also had their first-round picks pushed back ten spots due to being above the third luxury tax threshold of $281 million. That led to the Yankees’ pick being pushed back to No. 39, behind several compensatory picks. This allowed the Baltimore Orioles, who received picks for losing Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander while also dealing for the No. 37 pick, to make four selections before the Yankees made their first.
Lastly, what about the PPI picks? The Yankees have the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil, right? Well, the new Prospect Promotion Incentive only applies to Top 100 prospects, according to the major prospect publications, that stayed in the big leagues the entire season. Gil, and NL midseason call-up Paul Skenes, were thus not eligible.
Despite their incredibly small bonus pool, the Yankees still welcomed 19 new faces to their organization this week, with likely more to come with undrafted free agents signing later in the week. The draft hasn’t held as much importance to the Yanks as other franchises due to their spending prowess, but it’s still brought them many key contributors over the years.
More from pinstripealley.com:
- Assessing the Yankees’ two picks on Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft
- Futures Game: Lombard doubles, walks, steals, and swears
- Yankees 1, Cubs 4: Imanaga stifles Bombers in first-half finale
- Yankees Trade Deadline Coverage
- The hitting genius of Aaron Judge
- Pinstripe Alley’s Top 100 Yankees
- 2000 Yankees Diary: The 25th Anniversary of MLB’s Last Three-peat
