Tigers 2025 MLB Draft Signing Bonuses: Full Tracker and Analysis

The 2025 MLB Draft has officially wrapped up. This signals a shift in strategy for the Detroit Tigers and General Manager Scott Harris.

In years past, the Tigers often worked with high bonus pools. This year, though, their budget was leaner—$10,990,000 for signing their 21 picks, the 17th-largest pool in MLB.

Draft day brought some intrigue as Detroit tried to sign high school prospects and navigate slot values to stretch their pool money. What does all this mean for the Tigers and their future? Well, let’s try to unpack it.

Understanding the Bonus Pool Dynamics

Every MLB team has to stick to a bonus pool system when signing draftees. The Tigers usually picked in the top 10, so they’ve been used to larger pools to lure top talent.

This year, their $10,990,000 pool dropped them to the middle of the pack at 17th. That gave GM Scott Harris a tighter budget to work with.

How Slot Values Impact Spending

Each draft pick comes with a specific slot value. This number basically tells teams how much they should spend on that selection.

Teams want to stay within MLB rules, so these slot values matter a lot. If a player agrees to a bonus below their slot—like first-rounder Jordan Yost, reportedly signing for $3.25 million instead of his $3.73 million slot—Detroit can use those savings on other picks.

If a player doesn’t sign, though, that slot value just disappears. That can really mess with a team’s draft strategy.

Picks in rounds 11-20 don’t have assigned slot values. Bonuses under $150,000 in those rounds don’t count against the pool, so teams have a little more freedom there.

Teams are allowed to go up to 5% over their pool, but doing so means paying a penalty. Go past that, and you risk losing future draft picks—a line no team has dared to cross yet.

The Tigers’ Draft Challenges

The Tigers picked 21 players, mixing college and high school talent. Signing them all isn’t just a formality.

High schoolers like River Hamilton and Ethan Rogers add a layer of difficulty. They could really help Detroit’s farm system, but the Tigers have to outbid their college commitments to get them signed.

That usually means offering more than the standard $150,000 for late-round picks. It’s a gamble, but sometimes you have to take it.

First-Round Pick Jordan Yost: The Crown Jewel

First-rounder Jordan Yost is the main attraction. He’s reportedly agreed to a $3.25 million bonus, which is below his $3.73 million slot value.

That little bit of extra cash gives Harris and his team some breathing room to go after Hamilton, Rogers, and others. Yost’s signing really shows Detroit’s focus on efficiency with a smaller pool and hints at a bigger plan to find value outside the early rounds.

What’s Next for the Tigers?

As of Thursday afternoon, none of Detroit’s 2025 draftees had signed yet. Fans are waiting for updates, probably refreshing their feeds a little too often.

The signing process is a bit of a dance, especially when you’re juggling late-round high school picks and college players. Harris needs to manage the money carefully to avoid losing top talent or blowing past the bonus pool limit.

Why Signing the Full Class Matters

Slot values and bonus pools set the stage, but signing every player still matters a lot. If the Tigers can’t sign guys like Hamilton or Rogers, they’ll miss out on some big development opportunities for their farm system.

Losing a slot’s value means Detroit can’t reinvest that money elsewhere. That stings, especially when you’re trying to build for the future.

The Tigers’ 2025 draft class brings both promise and pressure. With a smaller pool than before, Scott Harris has to get creative—and maybe take a few risks—to keep Detroit’s future looking bright.

Final Takeaway

The 2025 MLB Draft just wrapped up, but for Detroit Tigers fans and GM Scott Harris, things are only getting started. The team now faces the challenge of locking in agreements with their picks.

Detroit needs to manage a so-so draft pool and take some chances on high-risk prospects. They’re hoping to develop future stars who can finally push the franchise back into true competitiveness.

These next few weeks matter a lot. Teams all over the league are scrambling to finalize their drafts and watch how things shake out.

Will Harris pull it off and strengthen Detroit’s pipeline? Tigers fans are waiting, maybe a little impatiently, to see how the 2025 season plays out.

 
Here is the source article for this story: MLB Draft: Tigers 2025 Signing Bonus Tracker