• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

MLB Draft Slotting Increases, Still Lags Behind NBA, NFL

  • LSU pitcher Paul Skenes, taken No. 1 by the Pirates, has a $9.7 million slot value.
  • “Now the bonuses are so big that the same guy you saw on the field in Omaha could easily be [in the big leagues] in September,” says ESPN’s Karl Ravech.
The Pirates' No. 1 pick Paul Skenes has a $9.7 million slot value.
Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball is introducing its new generation of players as it conducts the 2023 amateur draft during All-Star Week in Seattle.

The league uses the Midseason Classic to try to bring attention to its draft on the levels of its counterparts in the NFL and NBA.

And like those leagues, Major League Baseball assigns slot value positions for salary designation. 

However, players selected in the MLB Draft sign for less money than their NBA and NFL rookie counterparts. 

The $9.7M slot value for the No. 1 overall pick is less than the projected contract values for all 31 2023 NFL first-round picks, which range from $11.8 million to $37.9 million, per Spotrac

No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Victor Wembanyama signed a four-year, $55.1 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs, while the Los Angeles Clippers signed the last pick of the first round, Kobe Brown, to a four-year, $12.3 million deal per Spotrac

First round signing bonuses for MLB are up compared to last year, when the slot value assigned for the No. 1 pick was $8.84 million. The Baltimore Orioles had the first-pick in 2022 and selected shortstop Jackson Holliday, who signed to an under-slot value of $8.19 million — a record for a high school player.

The first two rounds of the MLB Draft were completed Sunday in Seattle, with coverage carried on ESPN and MLB Network. MLB’s website will stream Rounds 3-10 on Monday and Rounds 10-20 on Tuesday to conclude the draft.

LSU Tigers were selected with the first two picks as pitcher Paul Skenes went No. 1 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and outfielder Dylan Crews went No. 2 to the Washington Nationals. Traditionally, attention on the MLB Draft attention has been hampered by the extended timeline for picks to climb the minor leagues — but that process is evolving.

“In the NBA and the NFL, those guys went from draft to field very quickly. Major League Baseball was a little bit slower in that,” ESPN’s Karl Ravech said before the draft. “Now the bonuses are so big that the same guy you saw on the field in Omaha could easily be on the field in September. There’s no question that if Paul Skenes is on a team that’s trying to compete, he is on the field the same way Brandon Finnegan was.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

How Sports Leagues Are Responding to NFL Headquarters Shooting

The building housing the NFL headquarters was barricaded and closed Tuesday.
Emmanuel Clase

Emmanuel Clase Gambling Leave Not Costing Finlete Investors—Yet

Clase is the company’s only client currently in the majors.

Harper-Manfred Clubhouse Clash Foreshadows MLB Labor Battle

MLB’s commissioner clashes with the two-time NL Most Valuable Player.
Jun 21, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park.

Guardians Star Closer Put on Paid Leave Amid Gambling Probe

Emmanuel Clase joins fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz on paid leave.

Featured Today

Las Vegas sign

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Jul 27, 2025; Washington, D.C., USA; Leylah Fernandez (CAN) celebrates with the championship trophy after her match against Anna Kalinskaya (not pictured) in the women's singles final of the Mubadala Citi DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center.

DC Open Increases Women’s Purse by 39%, Keeps 2027 Target for Equal..

DC Open chairman Mark Ein spoke to Front Office Sports.
NYPD
July 29, 2025

Shooter at NFL Building Targeted League Over Head Injuries

The gunman shot one league employee in the building lobby.
July 29, 2025

Golf Major Bringing Biggest Women’s Sporting Event to Wales

Royal Porthcawl Golf Club is hosting the AIG Women’s Open.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
July 29, 2025

Top MLS Voices Advocate for International Schedule Change

The league is still weighing a move to align with international soccer.
July 28, 2025

NYC Shooter Targeted NFL HQ, Went to Wrong Floor

NFL employees were told to shelter in place during the shooting.
July 28, 2025

The Fastball and the Furious: Bristol MLB Game Will Set Attendance Record

The league makes history with the special-event game in Tennessee.
July 25, 2025

NFL Fines 100 Players, Dozens of Team Employees for Super Bowl Ticket..

No individuals have been named in the ongoing investigation yet.