​The 2026 MLB Draft carries a noticeably different mood for a number of reasons, not least of which is the Dodgers’ smallest-ever bonus pool and the event’s altered timing. Instead of kicking off on Sunday or Monday, as has been typical since MLB aligned the draft with the All-Star break, this year’s event begins on Saturday. The draft spans 20 rounds and remains a two-day affair, having been shortened from three days last year. As a result, the 2026 draft will wrap up on Sunday before any of the major league All-Star events have even taken place.
The Dodgers’ offseason moves contributed to the unusual landscape. By signing Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker—two free agents who declined qualifying offers—the team forfeited four early picks, losing their second- and fifth-round selections for Díaz, and their third- and sixth-round picks for Tucker. Compounding this was the Dodgers’ heavy expenditure beyond the third competitive balance tax threshold last season, which pushed their first-round pick down 10 spots to 40th overall. All of these factors combine to give the Dodgers the lowest bonus pool of any MLB team this year and the smallest-ever pool across the 15 years of the current slot-value framework.
Draft bonus pools are calculated from the total recommended slot values for every pick through the end of round 10. The breakdown for this draft is as follows:
Round 1, pick 40 — $2,504,200
Round 4, pick 132 — $575,300
Round 7, pick 223 — $260,300
Round 8, pick 253 — $218,500
Round 9, pick 283 — $201,700
Round 10, pick 313 — $191,900
Total — $3,951,500
Every signing bonus from the first 10 rounds counts against the bonus pool, plus any signing bonus over $150,000 for any player drafted in rounds 11 and beyond. Teams may spend up to five percent over their draft bonus pool with only a 75 percent tax on the overage; exceeding that five percent threshold triggers harsher penalties, including the forfeiture of future draft picks. As things stand, no MLB team under the current slotting system has spent enough to incur the loss of draft picks.
The draft’s first 135 selections are scheduled for Saturday, encompassing the first four rounds plus all competitive balance rounds, compensation picks, and prospect promotion incentive selections. Coverage on Saturday is split across networks and platforms. NBC and Peacock will air the first 10 picks after a preview show, while MLB Network will televise picks 11 through 40, with the final pick of that window belonging to the Dodgers. MLB.com and MLB.tv will stream everything from pick 11 through the end of the 20th round on Sunday. Day 2 continues with a nonstop stream of rounds 5 through 20 in a single session.
Saturday, July 11, will feature rounds 1 through 4, with a detailed timetable: 11 a.m. PT for picks 1–10 (NBC, Peacock), 11:30 a.m. for picks 11–40 (MLB Network), and streaming coverage from the 11th pick through the end of round 4 on MLB.com and MLB.tv. Sunday, July 12, will carry the remaining rounds (5–20) starting at 8:30 a.m. PT on MLB.com and MLB.tv.
The Dodgers will be active on Saturday with two selections in the earlier portion of the day—round 1, 40th overall, and round 4, 132nd overall—and will hold 14 picks on Sunday, ensuring they have ample opportunities to shape their team’s future within the constraints of their reduced bonus pool and the broader draft framework. The 2026 draft thus presents a unique combination of timing, penalties, and strategic considerations that set it apart from prior years.