6:34pm: The Mariners have agreed to bonuses with their fourth through tenth round picks that, in total, have saved them $1,253,500, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (via Twitter). That obviously accounts for essentially all of the overage on Morgan, though Seattle would be back to even as it negotiates with Jackson.
6:01pm: Morgan has agreed to a $2MM bonus, Elliott reports on Twitter. Needless to say, that level of commitment will require Seattle to produce savings elsewhere, as it lands $1.24MM over slot.
The Mariners entered the draft with a total potential pool of about $6.77MM. The bulk of that is attributable to the club’s first pick (6th overall), which came with a slot allotment of $3.575MM. Seattle took high school outfielder Alex Jackson with that choice. Five of the team’s picks from the first ten rounds were college seniors, which could allow for savings, though just one of those — the fourth-round pick (Ryan Yarbrough) — came with a pool share of over $200K.
5:55pm: The Mariners have signed compensation round B choice Gareth Morgan, reports Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio Seattle (via Twitter). Morgan was taken with the 74th overall choice, which carries a slot allocation of $760K.
Though terms have yet to be reported, Morgan was said to be seeking a seven-figure bonus before the draft, reports Bob Elliott of the Canadian Baseball Network. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said that the club “see[s] him as a high upside kid who has a very nice profile and skill set.”
Morgan is a high school outfielder from Ontario. He was rated as the 84th-best prospect by Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, who cite his raw power while raising questions about his hit tool. ESPN.com’s Keith Law (44th) and Baseball America (65th) both had Morgan higher on their boards.
