Houston Astros Receive Bonus Pool, Slot Budget for Upcoming MLB Draft

The Houston Astros will have one of the lowest bonus pools to work with during this July’s MLB Draft.

Apr 21, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Houston Astros hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros will have one of the smallest budgets to work with in the 2025 MLB draft after they learned their bonus pool funding.

MLB.com reported the bonus pools for all 30 teams and the slot bonuses for each pick in the first 10 rounds of the draft. The pools are set aside for those selections.

The Astros are set to receive $7.181 million. The figure is among the five lowest bonus pools in baseball.

Houston will pick No. 21 overall after winning the American League West but falling in the wild card round of the playoffs. Whoever the Astros select will be due a slot bonus of $4.122 million.

The Astros could choose to pay above or below slot for the pick, which would impact their overall bonus pool.

Houston selected Sam Houston catcher Walker Janek with the No. 28 overall pick in last year’s draft. He received a bonus of $3.1 million.

The Astros do not have a second-round pick as they surrendered it because they signed a player that received a qualifying offer in free agency, first baseman Christian Walker.

He received a qualifying offer from Arizona, which entitled the Diamondbacks to draft pick compensation. That pick makes up for the pick that the Diamondbacks lost for signing Corbin Burnes, who also received a qualifying offer from his former team.

Houston must be careful not to exceed the bonus pool, as that would lead to penalties on either future bonus pool money or even draft selections.

Per MLB rules, a club that spends under 5% over its pool pays a 75 percent tax on the overage. Between 5-10%, the price goes up to surrendering a first-round pick and paying a 75 percent tax on the overage.

For exceeding by 10-15%, a team can lose a first-round pick, a second-round pick and pay a 100% tax on the overage.

If a team goes over by 15%, they lose two first-round picks and pay a 100% tax on the overage.

Players picked in the final 10 rounds can be signed to a bonus of $150,000, which doesn’t come out of the pool so long as the contract doesn’t exceed that amount.

Houston Astros 2025 MLB Draft Pool Money

Bonus Pool: $7,181,500

Slots by Round

First Round

21. Astros: $4,122,500

Third Round

95. Astros: $803,900

Fourth Round

126. Astros: $594,500

Fifth Round

156. Astros: $443,100

Sixth Round

186. Astros: $341,600

Seventh Round

216. Astros: $267,700

Eighth Round

246. Astros: $219,800

Ninth Round

276. Astros: $199,500

Tenth Round

306. Astros: $188,900