Hawaii Tribune-Herald
In an effort to curb signing bonuses in the MLB amateur draft, new rules in 2012 established a budget for the first 10 rounds and assigned slot values.
Players drafted after the 10th round would be limited to a $100,000 signing bonus. If that amount was exceeded the difference was taken from the 10-round bonus pool.
MLB general managers figured out the best way to sign players who commanded over-slot bonus recommendations was to draft college seniors, who have practically no bargaining leverage, and offer them $10,000 or even $1,000 to save money.
The new rules also confirmed how organizations view value in the draft: premium blue chips in the first 10 rounds and everyone after classified as either prospects or roster fillers.