MLB Teams Set First-Round Draft Bonus Record With $2.65M Per Pick

MLB teams set a record for first-round average draft bonuses this year with $2.65M per pick, up 7.9% from the previous record of $2.46M set in ’08, according to data compiled by Baseball America. Teams combined to spend $228M on draft bonuses this year, up 16% from ’10. The Pirates led all teams with $17M spent on draft bonuses, giving the club an MLB-high $52.06M in draft bonus expenditures since ’07. The Nationals and Royals ranked second and third, respectively, this year in draft bonus expenditures, and hold the same rankings looking back at total draft bonuses since ’07. Of the 32 first-round picks who signed this year, 27 signed above the MLB-recommended slot bonus, including No. 1 overall pick P Gerrit Cole, who signed with the Pirates for a draft-record $8M bonus. Cole’s contract, however, is a minor-league deal without any additional guarantee, and is a smaller total deal compared to previous major-league contracts for draft picks such as Nationals P Stephen Strasburg. Among the largest major-league contracts ever signed by draft picks, only two selections from the ’11 draft -- Mariners P Danny Hultzen and Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon -- rank among the top 10. Meanwhile, three of the bonuses given out this year rank among the top 10 all-time. Listed below are MLB team draft bonus expenditures dating back to ’07 (Baseball America).