Why don’t the Dodgers have a first-round MLB Draft pick?

Why don’t the Dodgers have a first-round pick in the MLB Draft?

The 2022 MLB Draft is quickly approaching and organizations are making their last minute decisions on who they will pick as the next big cog to their team’s future.

The order in tonight’s draft is as follows:

1. Baltimore Orioles
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. Texas Rangers
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
5. Washington Nationals
6. Miami Marlins
7. Chicago Cubs
8. Minnesota Twins
9. Kansas City Royals
10. Colorado Rockies
11. New York Mets* (compensation pick)
12. Detroit Tigers
13. Los Angeles Angels
14. New York Mets
15. San Diego Padres
16. Cleveland Guardians
17. Philadelphia Phillies
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Oakland Athletics
20. Atlanta Braves
21. Seattle Mariners
22. St. Louis Cardinals
23. Toronto Blue Jays
24. Boston Red Sox
25. New York Yankees
26. Chicago White Sox
27. Milwaukee Brewers
28. Houston Astros
29. Tampa Bay Rays
30. San Francisco Giants
31. Colorado Rockies (compensation pick for losing Trevor Story)
32. Cincinnati Reds (compensation pick for losing Nick Castellanos)

As you may have noticed, there is one team not listed in the first-round of tonight’s draft and that is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Why the Dodgers don’t have a first-round pick in the MLB Draft

In short, the Dodgers were one of two teams (Padres) that exceeded the $210MM luxury tax threshold for the 2021 regular season. Not only do the Dodgers now owe $32.65MM for the overage, but they will also see their first pick moved all the way back to the second round with the 40th pick.

This will only be the second time ever that the Dodgers first pick is 40th or lower with the first coming in 2012 when they received a supplemental pick for catcher Rod Barajas signing with the Pirates. The Dodgers used that pick to draft middle infielder Jesmuel Valentín who never even made it to the big league level with the club.

The luxury tax bill was temporarily suspended in 2020 due to the special circumstances surrounding the COVID-shortened season, but it is back in effect this season and the Dodgers have quite literally paid the price for it.

Heading into the 2022 campaign, the Dodgers had a payroll of approximately $285,599,944 which is the second-highest in MLB history behind … the Dodgers in 2015 when they had a $291MM payroll. The club exceeded the luxury tax in each season 2013-2017 and lowered its overall spending in 2018-2020, but is back above the threshold and is going to be feeling this penalty in tonight’s draft when they are left without a first-round pick.