The MLB draft is a major way for all the teams in the league to recruit the next generation of baseball players for themselves. These baseball players often hail from colleges or high schools and take their first step towards being a professional after getting drafted in the league.
The compensation picks have always been an integral part of the MLB draft. It allows MLB teams to gain additional players for the ones that lost to other teams. Moreover, players who become free agents also get opportunities to continue their careers with a different team. Notably, the rules for the compensation picks were different before 2013, which have since then changed and remained the same as of 2024. Talking about the 2024 MLB Draft, the Minnesota Twins, the Los Angeles Angels, the San Diego Padres and the Toronto Blue Jays will be getting compensation draft picks.
Workings of the Compensatory Draft Picks in the MLB
The compensation draft picks in MLB work primarily with the concept of qualifying offers in the league. When the contract of a player with his team comes to an end, he becomes a free agent. However, his team might make him a one-year qualifying offer. If the player accepts, then he will be signed for one year with a salary that is equal to the mean salary of the 125-highest-paid players in the league. If the player does not accept the qualifying offer, then he becomes a free agent at the end of the season and chooses his options with other teams. The team, in such cases, get a player pick in the next MLB draft as compensation.
However, the eligibility of the compensation packs in the MLB draft depends on two factors. The first factor is that the player to become a free agent has not received a qualifying offer previously in his career. The second factor is that he should have played the entire season on the team roster. Players acquired by the team in the middle of the season are not eligible for compensatory draft picks.
Notable Compensatory Draft Picks in the MLB
The following table presents some of the notable compensatory draft picks in MLB over the years -
| MLB Draft Year | Player Name | Draft Pick | Team | Compensation for |
| 2000 | Adam Wainwright | #29th overall | Atlanta Braves | Russ Springer |
| 2001 | David Wright | #38th overall | New York Mets | Mike Hampton |
| 2001 | Jeff Mathis | #33rd overall | Anaheim Angels | Mark Petkovsek |
| 2004 | Giovanny Gonzalez | #38th overall | Chicago White Sox | Tom Gordon |
| 2005 | Jed Lowrie | #45th overall | Boston Red Sox | Orlando Cabrera |
| 2005 | Jacoby Ellsbury | #23rd overall | Boston Red Sox | Orlando Cabrera |
| 2007 | Sean Doolittle | #41st overall | Oakland Athletics | Barry Zito |
| 2007 | Josh Donaldson | #48th overall | Chicago Cubs | Juan Pierre |
| 2008 | John Forsythe | #46th overall | San Diego Padres | Doug Brocail |
| 2009 | Brad Boxberger | #43rd overall | Cincinnati Reds | Jeremy Affeldt |
| 2009 | Mike Trout | #25th overall | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Mark Teixeira |
| 2009 | A.J.Pollock | #17th overall | Arizona Diamondbacks | Orlando Hudson |
| 2009 | Garrett Richards | #42nd overall | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Francisco Rodriguez |
| 2009 | James Paxton | #37th overall | Toronto Blue Jays | A.J. Burnett |
| 2011 | Trevor Story | #45th overall | Colorado Rockies | Octavio Dotel |
| 2011 | Michael Fulmer | #44th overall | New York Mets | Pedro Feliciano |
| 2011 | Jackie Bradley Jr. | #41st overall | Boston Red Sox | Adrian Beltre |
| 2012 | Joey Gallo | #39th overall | Texas Rangers | Christopher Wilson |
| 2012 | Matt Olson | #47th overall | Oakland Athletics | David DeJesus |
| 2012 | Kevin Plawecki | #35th overall | New York Mets | Jose Reyes |
| 2012 | Jose Berrios | #32nd overall | Minnesota Twins | Michael Cuddyer |
| 2012 | Lance McCullers | #41st overall | Houston Astros | Clint Barmes |
| 2012 | Mitch Haniger | #38th overall | Minnesota Twins | Prince Fielder |
| 2013 | Aaron Judge | #32nd overall | New York Yankees | Nick Swisher |
FAQ's On Compensatory Draft Picks Work
A. A team cannot have more than four compensatory picks in a season.
A. Teams get awarded with compensatory picks if they lose their free agents in the previous season.
A. Yes, an MLB team can lose one or more draft picks for signing free agents.
A. No, compensatory picks in MLB cannot be traded.
A. Competitive balance picks in the MLB Draft can be traded.
