Let’s catch up on the latest draft signings …
- The Astros were able to wrap up all of their draft business, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. In addition to picking up some undrafted free agents, the Houston organization inked its four draftees. The key signing was Alex Santos, a high school hurler who’ll turn pro after being offered $1.25MM — a fair bit over the $870,700 slot he was chosen at. Zach Daniels and Tyler Brown each signed for near their slot amounts, while fifth-rounder Shay Witcomb took just $56K and left the team with room to ink Santos.
- Also inking for $1.2MM was Rangers’ choice Dylan MacLean. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported the news on Twitter. MacLean was a fourth-round pick in the draft, signing for more than double his slot amount. MacLean is a southpaw hurler out of Central Catholic High School in Oregon.
- The Braves went well over slot to sign fifth-rounder Bryce Elder, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis (Twitter link). Elder will receive $850K, far north of the $336,600 allocation for the 156th overall pick.
- As he said he would, Tigers fourth-rounder Gage Workman has reached agreement on a deal with his new team. The Detroit organization announced the signing, though it isn’t yet known what the Arizona State infielder will receive to forego a return for another run with the Sun Devils. Still just twenty years of age, Workman posted a lifetime .298/.372/.496 mark at ASU. He’s likely to begin his pro career as a shortstop.
- The Cardinals announced that they’ve signed third-rounder Levi Prater. He’ll earn $575K ($627,900 slot value), Callis tweets. Callils notes that Prater is a right-handed hurler with a 90-93 mph fastball.
- The Phillies added fourth-rounder Carson Ragsdale and fifth-rounder Baron Radcliff, per Callis (Twitter links). Ragsdale will earn $225K, well under the $497,500 slot value. Radcliff, a Georgia Tech outfielder, is slated to take home $100K, which will also leave some savings since his draft slot came with a $371,600 pool allocation.
- The White Sox chased some serious mid-round savings. Third-round choice Adisyn Coffee has inked for $50K and fourth-rounder Kade Mechals went for $10K, Callis reports (Twitter links). Both are right-handed hurlers, Coffee from Wabash Valley College and Mechals out of Grand Canyon. It’s not hard to interpret these signings: the White Sox wish to reallocate the rest of the slot money ($733,100 and $517,400, respectively). The club is believed to be lining up a big bonus with second-rounder Jarred Kelley, though he hasn’t yet signed.
- Rays third-rounder Hunter Barnhart is heading to Tampa Bay on a $585K bonus, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports on Twitter. The Rays saved some cash in inning Barnhart, whose third-round slot carried a value of $604,800.
- High school righty Marco Raya has agreed to terms with the Twins. Callis tweets that he’ll receive a $410K bonus, which isn’t far shy of the $442,900 slot value. Raya is foregoing a commitment to Texas Tech. Though he’s hardly a power hurler, he’s said to have an “interesting four-pitch mix.”
Prayer is a lefty
Prater is a lefty
Loved the original post so much more than the corrected one. I’m thinking about ordering a “Prayer is a lefty” t-shirt.
I know nothing about the strategy of signing these draftees. Why would for example the Braves sign a draft pick for over a half million dollars higher than the slot value? Was it to perhaps try to keep him from going to college or something like that?
Yes
Yes, he was a durable workhorse with some impressive numbers, albeit scouts have a lower ceiling on him (but higher floor). He had 1 more year of eligibility left that he could have used as leverage for getting an above-slot deal.
Somewhat similar to what happened to UGA SP Cole Wilcox, who went in the 3rd rd though many mocks had him as high as the end of the 1st rd. Signability dropped him down, ultimately going to SD, who most likely will need to get him well above slot to convince him to forgo another (eventual) season at UGA where he could rebound and end up like teammate Emerson Hancock, going #6 overall (SEA).
The… Radcliff! So dramatic.
I was wondering about that…did they forget to remove part of a cut and paste or something ?
Unless I’ve missed it, it seems like the Padres are one of the only (if not the only) team not to have signed a draft pick yet. What’s going on there?!
Yankees have not signed any draft picks either
Yankees been too busy in court trying to seal proof of their cheating.
Padres gave sign rounds 4and 5
I saw they signed some undrafted but missed the 4th and 5th rounders. How much did they go for? Slot or under? Need the money for our 3rd rounder.
Go to the mlb draft tracker on mlb.com
Move it to padres and you will get your answer
Padres don’t plan on signing any draft picks to save money?
Mechals signed for 10k? Couldnt he have not signed then signed with someone else for 20k? If undrafted are getting 20k, why would you take just 10k as a 4th rounder
UDFAs can sign for up to 20K. It’s possible they’re getting less than that.
Since he was drafted, he may not be able to sign with another MLB team until next year’s draft , but I could be wrong about that.
I thought teams were required to offer at least 40% of the slot value. Or is this another benefit for amateurs the MLBPA bargained away?