Let’s kick off this Saturday morning by checking in on some of the latest post-draft signings from around the league. We’ll update this post periodically throughout the day as more news trickles in…
Latest Signings
- Cardinals fourth-rounder Ian Bedell will sign with the team, the right-hander told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers. Terms of the agreement weren’t revealed, though the 122nd overall selection has a $469K slot value. “I would have gone back to school if the signing bonus wasn’t there, but they made a good offer, and I couldn’t be happier,” said Bedell, who grew up as a Cards fan. Draft pundits had a pretty wide range of opinions on Bedell’s draft stock (The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him as the 58th-best prospect in the draft class, Fangraphs 85th, MLB Pipeline 88th, and Baseball America 105th), though those rankings still represent somewhat of a steal for the Cardinals with the 122nd pick. Bedell drew praise for his command and control of his pitches rather than his pure arsenal, and he pitched very well in the Cape Cod League last summer.
Earlier Today
- The Phillies and third-rounder Casey Martin have reached an agreement, Martin told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (subscription required). The 87th overall pick has a $689.3K slot price attached, and while Martin didn’t specify the terms of his contract, the Arkansas shortstop said the deal was a “fair amount for where I was picked and for my value.” Martin didn’t play well before the 2020 college season came to an abrupt end, which may explain why he fell to the third round despite late-first/early-second round grades from prospect analysts (MLB Pipeline ranked Martin as the 30th-best prospect available in the draft). There are questions surrounding Martin’s ability to avoid strikeouts and whether or not he could remain at shortstop in the long term, though he carries a lot of hitting potential and outstanding 70-grade speed.
- The Astros have agreements in place with a couple of their draft picks from this week’s abbreviated MLB draft. Fourth-round selection Zach Daniels has an agreement in place, though the terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. The Astros also came to terms with shortstop Shay Whitcomb from UC San Diego, who was the 160th and final pick of this draft (Mark Berman of KRIV Fox 26 had the report). Though Whitcomb was the final player chosen, the slot value of that pick is still $324.1K, a significant bump from what those undrafted players can command. Players who went undrafted can sign with any team of their choosing, but only for a maximum payout of $20K.
- Orioles fifth-round selection Carter Baumler has plans to sign with Baltimore, per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun. Baumler is a 6’2″ right-handed pitcher hailing from Dowling Catholic High School in Iowa. The 133rd overall pick of the draft carries a slot value of $422.3K. Baumler’s deal will come in well above slot at $1.5MM, tweets Mason McRae of Prospects 365 (confirmed by Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register). As Birch writes in a full piece, Baumler turned down two other teams before agreeing to sign with the Orioles. Had he not received an offer to his liking, Baumler was ready to play college ball for Texas Christian.
- Rangers second-rounder Evan Carter will sign his first professional contract rather than attend Duke University, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Carter is a lefty-swinging outfielder out of Elizabethton High School in Tennessee, and was picked by the Rangers with the 50th overall pick in the draft. The financials of his deal have not been disclosed, but the slot amount for the 50th overall selection is $1,469,900.
any UDFA signings yet?
They can’t sign until Sunday.
ah, wasnt aware of that. thanks!
Can’t happen before Monday I think.
So teams have all this money to dole out to the draft picks but want to fight over scraps with the players to play MLB this season? Just doesn’t make sense.
They are actually saving lots of money-$20,000 signing bonus for lots of these guys saves millions in signing bonuses
Yeah, $20K to sign an unlimited number of prospects is nuts. Why would any prospect worth a damn sign for that amount? Just to get into someone’s system? Just wait until 2021.
they aren’t saving any money because they will pretty much only sign the same players (college seniors) they sign every year for $20k or less. College players in their Junior year were granted an extra year of eligibility and dont lose bargaining power returning to school for the 2020/21 academic year.
Most of the bonus money for top 2020 draft picks is deferred until 2021 and 2022. Up to 100k paid per player in 2020 with the rest evenly split between 2021 and 2022.
No one of any significant talent is signing for $20k.
A college senior may disagree, but you go ahead and keep on keeping on.
College seniors dont have significant talent. If they did they would have been drafted and signed their junior year at the peak of their bargaining power. Find me more than one impact MLB player drafted and signed as a Senior.
Baseball has a long history of overlooking players who’ve become major league players and have contributed. If a Senior would have been drafted in the 6th round in a normal year they’d need to be considered. If they sign for 20k so be it. Clepto is correct.
Wrong. College seniors are drafted in the top 10 rounds nowadays typically to push extra slot money to another player – not because they have 6th round talent. Again, name more than one college senior to have an impact MLB career. Last year one if the tip Seniors was Jake Magnum a very nice college player but does not project to be more than a 5th MLB OFer.
Wrong, again dug. This isnt last year.
Paul DeJong was a college senior when he was drafted in the 4th round by the Cardinals in 2015. I’m almost sure there are more than just him out there
Off the top of my head Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel. There are many other college players who stayed all four years and became valuable MLB players, but keep your thinking dugmet.
Weird to think that the draft next year might be 20 rounds and that MLB could determine the draft order depending on the number of games played or if there even is a season.
If there is no 2020 season for College and High School players, there won’t be much of a sample to go off of in 2021 unless they push back the draft.
Yeah, I’m already thinking too far ahead.
If there’s a 2021 season for schools, they’ll be fine.
If the draft isn’t pushed back, players in the northern states would have roughly a two month sample to showcase themselves with nothing from this year to feed scouts, and the warmer states would have the small sample from this year and maybe an extra few weeks in 2021.
Again, it’s about the timing. An early June draft wouldn’t be ideal.
good to get Martin. hope he isnt too far overslot for the sake of signing Abel
Martin is the Phillies future CF. Moniak will be a glove first 4th OF’r and Haisley could be the future LF after Cutch is gone if he can develop a little more pop.
id much rather the guy who has proven he can play CF (Haseley) be the CF and Martin can be the LF.
Martin is the Phillies CF of the future? Wasn’t Moniak drafted first overall in 2016 to be just that? Now Moniak is a glove-first fourth outfielder but MARTIN, yes Martin(taken in the 3rd round), he is the CF of the future. Bank on it. Did…did you catch the sarcasm?
Javia, I never come at people on here with that kind of tone because I respect people’s opinions even if I dont agree with them. I think it’s the people on here that try to be nasty that have no friends or social life and its evident in the things they type.
Moniak will not be the starting CF of the future, he’s just not good enough. Martin I believe, at least has the potential to get that much better and that 75 speed is impressive.
What I was saying is that Moniak was picked first overall in the draft for a reason. He was the most talented player and seen as the most likely to make it to the majors and make an impact. Just stating that Martin is the CF of the future is wishful thinking. At this point chances are heavily against him making it to the majors.
I’ve followed Moniak closely since the Phillies drafted him. Unless he comes out of the gate blazing when baseball resumes, I believe his future will be as a starting CF for a rebuilding club or as 4th OF’er in Philly. As for Haseley, he still has a lot to prove as well. I think he can handle CF but he’s not good enough to play everyday and against lefties.
Austin Mays in Baltimore would be the perfect fit for this club, and I hope that’s what Martin becomes. The Phillies have one of the worst bullpens in baseball, especially after the loss of Seranthony. If I was GM I’d be on the phone with Orioles trying to get Hays and Givens. We could take Cobb and his full salary if they took Odubel off our hands. It would offset salary and keep the Phils below the luxury tax threshold and give the O’s a young, former allstar who’s ready for a second chance. Bmore would be a good place for that to happen potentially because they have no outfielders really. Hypothetically:
Odubel Herrera
Nick Williams
Bryson Stott
Cornelius Randolph
Adonis Medina
Ramon Rosso
For
Alex Cobb
Austin Hays
Michael Givens
And convert VV to be a reliever to pair with Givens, Neris, Tommy Hunter, Jose Alvarez and D-Rob when he comes back.
neither team would do that trade most likely
Def a pipe dream Darkside but it does make some sense to add a 6th starter and I really like Hays, we would love him in Philly. And our bullpen is atrocious man
Nothing about the Yankees cheating (what else is new, been saying it for years). This site is done.
Please, do explain how the Yankees cheated in a 5 round draft?
I can’t wait for this one
@commonsense—-chisox is not referring to them cheating during the draft—he is referring to the reports of them sign stealing (using technology prior to the ban of usage–presumably). Probably not the right place for chisox to comment that subject at, but like he said no story reported yet (as there isn’t one)……
It is not prior to the ban. It is prior to the strict punishments for it. The use of electronic devices for such shenanigans had been against MLB policy since 2001.
The Yankees argument of “significant reputational injury” means it must have been something serious they were doing.
This is definitely a very pro Yankees biased site. It would not surprise me if the Yankees owned MLBTR.
Buddy, the letter is set to be unsealed on the 19th. I’m sure once it is released, this site will have an article (at least one). As of today, a hypothetical article will say, “there’s a letter, no one knows what is says, but it comes out in a week. Could be bad, could be no big deal, could be really really bad. The end.” Riveting stuff. If they posted an article to this nature you’d be gargling on about some other complaint. Read another site in the meantime, trust me, there are multiple boring articles all saying the same nothing on it.
So because it’s being covered by pretty much every other online sports media source, it doesn’t warrant a post on this site? Interesting logic.
Not my logic. My point was be patient.
So go away then. You will not be missed
“According to Birch, Baumler turned down two other teams before agreeing to sign with the Orioles.”
The MLB draft process is weird.
They draft a kid in the sixth round with the intention of not signing him so they can save money to draft a kid in the ninth round who should have went in the fourth round and then use the money saved on the kid in the sixth round to pay the kid in the ninth round like he went in the fifth round.
LMAO……but that’s EXACTLY how it happens……and you’re right on point concerning the rounds….nobody cares, including your boss, if you don’t sign a 30th pick…..but not signing your upper picks, unless it’s for the reasons above, will have you working for someone else next year….
That’s why all this “we’re great; we found Pujois in the 12th round” is nonsensical. It’s not like everybody didn’t know he was good (granted, no one kenew he was THAT good); they just thought he wouldn’t sign. Same wth Betts in the 5th round, etc. etc,
If you don’t sign the 6th round pick you don’t get the slot allocation for it. That money is subtracted from the bonus pool. You can only use the extra money from another pick if you sign them for below slot value.
That’s the way a draft is going to work when you let your draftees decide if they want to play for the team that drafted them.
I hope the Astros loose a couple of the $20k FAs they wanted. It’s choose your adventure and hopefully it ain’t Houston! Though good luck to these lads
Let it go.
– Frozen
I just hope they have enough bubble wrap to cover them all.