MLB told teams their bonus pools for 2025 international signing period

The 2024 international signing window is still open until Dec. 15, but the 30 MLB teams have long been making their plans for the next int’l signing period that begins on Jan. 15, 2025.  According to Baseball America’s Ben Badler, the league gave each team its allotted bonus pool figures for next year’s international signing class.

Smaller-revenue teams get more money in their international bonus pools, as the two largest pool groupings match the 13 teams who are also part of the Competitive Balance Rounds in the North American amateur draft.  As it relates to the 2025 international market, the teams with the largest bonus pools are the eight teams who were slotted into the second CBR in the 2024 draft order — the six teams with the second-largest int’l pool are the teams slotted into CBR-A in this July’s amateur draft.  Although CBR picks can be traded, that doesn’t impact the international bonus pools.  For example, even though the Brewers acquired the Orioles’ CBR-A pick as part of the Corbin Burnes trade, that doesn’t alter the amount of international bonus money allotted to Milwaukee or Baltimore.

It should be noted that teams are allowed to trade money from their international bonus pools.  If a club is looking for extra money to make another signing (perhaps to bid on a player who unexpectedly joined the market), it can obtain up to $250K in international bonus funds from another team.  This rival team could perhaps simply be done with its int’l spending for the year, or is willing to give up money either as part of a trade package, or perhaps to land a minor leaguer who is closer to the Show than a teenage international prospect who might be years away.  Such deals to acquire more pool space are sometimes necessary because club aren’t allowed to exceed their pool limit.

All international signings greater than $10K count against the pool total.  Here is what each team will have to spend in the 2025 signing period…

$7,555,500: Athletics, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Tigers, Twins…..The original slate of teams with picks in Competitive Balance Round-B of the 2024 amateur draft.

$6,908,600: Diamondbacks, Guardians, Orioles, Pirates, Rockies, Royals…..The original slate of teams with picks in Competitive Balance Round-A of the 2024 amateur draft.

$6,261,600: Angels, Blue Jays, Braves, Cubs, Mets, Nationals, Padres, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, White Sox, Yankees

$5,646,200: Astros, Cardinals…..These teams each gave up $500K of their pool money by signing a free agent (Houston and Josh Hader, St. Louis and Sonny Gray) who rejected a qualifying offer.

$5,146,200: Dodgers, Giants…..For both exceeding the luxury tax in 2023 and for signing the qualifying offer-rejecting Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers had to give up $1M in pool money.  The Giants had to give up $1M in pool funds for signing Matt Chapman and Blake Snell, who both rejected qualifying offers.