The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed first overall pick Gerrit Cole, and second round pick Josh Bell, according to Jon Heyman (Cole, Bell).
Cole will get $8 M, and it’s a minor league deal, per Dejan Kovacevic. The bonus is the highest in draft history, topping the $7.5 M bonus that Stephen Strasburg received. It’s also a record for the Pirates.
Josh Bell gets $5 M. That’s the fourth biggest bonus given out by the Pirates, behind Cole, Jameson Taillon, and Pedro Alvarez.
The two bonuses bring the Pirates’ total spending to just under $16.5 M, which is a draft record. That doesn’t include unannounced bonuses, which will bring the total to over $17 M.
The Pirates have officially announced each move. The draft pick signing tracker is updated with the moves.