The current international signing period ends on May 15, but most (if not all) of the heavy lifting has already been done. The 2016-2017 signing period begins on July 2 and the MLB released each team's international bonus pool allotments as we inch closer toward that date.
The Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox exceeded their 2015-2016 bonus pools, which means they won't be able to sign a single player above $300,000 (although they'll be able to spend all of the pool money given to them).
The bonus pool numbers are determined based on each team's record from the prior season. The Phillies were given the most money for finishing dead last in the MLB while the St. Louis Cardinals received the least amount of money for finishing atop the league.
There are a number of talented foreign players that have been garnering interest from MLB clubs for a while now, so even though the aforementioned teams won't be able to spend big this time around, others such as the Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves are expected to exceed their bonus pools with some notable signings.
Check out the table below to see how much your MLB club will be allowed to spend in the next signing period. *Click here to read about the penalties incurred for exceeding international bonus pools. Bonus pool figures are provided by Baseball America.
MLB Team | International Bonus Pool |
Philadelphia Phillies | $5,610,800 |
Cincinnati Reds | $5,163,400 |
Atlanta Braves | $4,766,000 |
Colorado Rockies | $4,412,700 |
Milwaukee Brewers | $4,098,500 |
Oakland Athletics | $3,818,700 |
Miami Marlins | $3,569,600 |
San Diego Padres | $3,347,600 |
Detroit Tigers | $3,150,000 |
Chicago White Sox | $2,973,500 |
Seattle Mariners | $2,875,400 |
Boston Red Sox | $2,783,800 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | $2,697,400 |
Tampa Bay Rays | $2,615,900 |
Baltimore Orioles | $2,539,600 |
Cleveland Indians | $2,467,400 |
Minnesota Twins | $2,399,100 |
Washington Nationals | $2,335,000 |
San Francisco Giants | $2,274,400 |
Los Angeles Angels | $2,217,300 |
Houston Astros | $2,197,000 |
New York Yankees | $2,177,100 |
Texas Rangers | $2,157,400 |
New York Mets | $2,138,200 |
Los Angeles Dodgers | $2,118,900 |
Toronto Blue Jays | $2,100,200 |
Kansas City Royals | $2,081,200 |
Chicago Cubs | $2,063,100 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | $2,044,800 |
St. Louis Cardinals | $2,027,300 |
