2025 MLB Draft: Reasons the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees Lack First-Round Picks This Year
A detailed look into why the prominent MLB teams do not have first-round picks in the upcoming draft.
The 2025 MLB Draft will commence this Sunday in Atlanta, coinciding with the All-Star Game. Unlike other professional sports drafts in North America, this one involves a delayed return for even the finest prospects, who may spend up to two years in the minors before joining the major leagues.
Interestingly, there are only 27 first-round picks available this year, despite the league comprising 30 teams. Teams such as the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees have been impacted by the competitive balance tax (CBT), which increases penalties for excessive spending.
It is crucial to highlight that these teams did not forfeit their picks—they simply have seen their selections pushed back 10 spots for surpassing the tax threshold. Here’s the breakdown of the CBT thresholds outlined in the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement:
- 2022: $230 million
- 2023: $233 million
- 2024: $237 million
- 2025: $241 million
- 2026: $244 million
The CBT system functions as a soft salary cap; teams can exceed the limit but will face taxes on the excess amount. The penalties depend on how far over the limit a team spends and the number of consecutive years they exceed the cap. Teams who exceed the cap by at least $60 million have their draft picks shifted back 10 spots unless they fall within the top six picks of the draft.
Given that the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees all exceeded the CBT limit by more than $60 million, they lost their first-round picks for 2025 as follows:
| Team | 2024 CBT Payroll | Original Pick | New Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mets | $347.7M | No. 28 | No. 38 |
| Yankees | $316.2M | No. 29 | No. 39 |
| Dodgers | $353.0M | No. 30 | No. 40 |
The ordering for the draft is now determined differently, with the first six picks assigned via lottery. The following picks, 7-18, go to the 12 teams that did not make the postseason in reverse order of their standings last year, while slots 19-30 are allocated to postseason participants based on performance. In the context of the most recent season, the Dodgers won the World Series, earning them pick No. 30. The Yankees came in second, receiving No. 29, and the Mets ranked No. 28 after reaching the NLCS. Thus, all three teams saw their picks drop out of the first-round category due to CBT penalties.
In essence, the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees maintain their picks, which have merely been delayed by 10 spots owing to their spending strategies surrounding the CBT.
