Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
It has been 11 days since the 2019 MLB Draft ended, and the Dodgers have already done better than last year by signing 1st-round selection Kody Hoese.
The draft signing deadline is July 12 at 2 p.m. So, the Dodgers have almost a month to sign their draftees. With North Carolina and Stanford getting ousted from the College World Series, expect some signing news on the Michael Busch and Jack Little fronts before too long.
——
Let’s review the rules behind the draft signing bonus pools.
The picks within the first 10 rounds get a slot amount allotted to them, and they must be signed in order for their slot amount to go towards the overall bonus pool. If a draftee in the first 10 rounds does not sign, teams lose that signing bonus from their overall pool (like what happened with J.T. Ginn last year). Additionally, if any picks from rounds 11-40 or undrafted free agents are signed for more than $125,000, the overage will count against the bonus pool. And here’s how the overage penalties shake out.
| Overage (percentage) | Penalty (taxed amount) |
|---|---|
| 0-4.99 | 75 percent tax on overage |
| 5-9.99 | 75 percent tax on overage Loss of 2019 1st-round pick |
| 10-14.99 | 100 percent tax on overage Loss of 2019 1st- & 2nd-round picks |
| 15-plus | 100 percent tax Loss of 1st-round picks in 2019 & 2020 |
The Dodgers can go up to $403,454 (5 percent, less $1) over their allotted slot amount of $8,069,100 without losing a draft pick. No team has ever exceeded this bonus pool since this system was implemented in 2012, and it isn’t going to happen now.
——
| Round | Player | Slot | Bonus | Savings |
| 1 | Kody Hoese | $2,740,300 | $2,740,300 | $0 |
| 1c | Michael Busch | $2,312,000 | unsigned | ? |
| 2c | Jimmy Lewis | $793,000 | unsigned | ? |
| 3 | Ryan Pepiot | $571,400 | $547,500 | $23,900 |
| 4 | Brandon Lewis | $430,800 | unsigned | ? |
| 5 | Jack Little | $321,100 | unsigned | ? |
| 6 | Aaron Ochsenbein | $249,000 | signed | ? |
| 7 | Nick Robertson | $195,700 | signed | ? |
| 8 | Ryan Ward | $163,400 | $163,400 | $0 |
| 9 | Alec Gamboa | $150,100 | signed | ? |
| 10 | Zac Ching | $142,000 | signed | ? |
| Total | $8,069,100 | $3,453,700 | $23,900 |
The Dodgers are $23,900 in the black, but that won’t last long.
——
Here are some signings that don’t impact the bonus pool.
And a couple of them with a little more detail.
——
We’ll keep updating signings as they become available.
