The current MLB bonus pool rules for the draft impose harsh penalties if teams go over their bonus pool limit. The Pirates have a limit of $7,392,200 in the first ten rounds this year, and to sign anyone beyond the tenth round to over-slot deals, they would need to create some room by signing guys in the top ten rounds to under-slot deals.
So far, they’ve already done that to the point where they can afford an over-slot prep pitcher in the middle rounds. And they have already signed that prep pitcher. Here is the math, from the Draft Pick Signing Tracker:
|
Round |
Player |
Bonus |
Pool |
Difference |
|
1 |
Kevin Newman |
$2,175,000 |
$2,273,800 |
-$98,800 |
|
1 |
Ke’Bryan Hayes |
$1,855,000 |
$1,855,000 |
$0 |
|
6 |
J.T. Brubaker |
$200,000 |
$246,500 |
-$46,500 |
|
8 |
Seth McGarry |
$150,000 |
$168,800 |
-$18,800 |
|
9 |
Bret Helton |
$150,000 |
$157,600 |
-$7,600 |
|
22 |
Nathan Trevillian |
$250,000 |
$100,000 |
$150,000 |
|
TOTAL |
-$21,700 |
The Pirates saved money with first round pick Kevin Newman, sixth round pick J.T. Brubaker, eighth round pick Seth McGarry, and ninth round pick Bret Helton. None of these deals provided a ton of savings, but combined, they were enough to save the team $171,700 from their bonus pool. Any player signed after the tenth round can be given up to $100,000 without that amount counting towards the pool. That means the Pirates had up to $271,700 to give to a single pick after the tenth round.
I say “had”, because as you can see above, they have already gone over-slot on 22nd round pick, Nathan Trevillian. The right-handed pitcher signed for $250,000, which takes $150,000 away from the bonus pool. He’s a projectable pitcher who has already hit 90 MPH and has some good downward movement on his fastball. And his signing means that the Pirates currently have $21,700 remaining in their bonus pool for over-slot deals, assuming everyone else signs for slot.
That won’t happen though, as we’ve already seen. Five of the players drafted in the top ten rounds have signed, and four were under-slot deals. The amounts weren’t huge, but together they allowed the Pirates to sign a guy beyond the tenth round, paying him a sixth round bonus.
I’d expect a lot more of this to come. The Pirates drafted a lot of guys in the top ten rounds who should sign for close to slot, but slightly below that amount, giving them extra money to spend in the later rounds. And we’ve already heard of a few players beyond the tenth round who are open to signing, and who won’t take much money to sign. It looks like they’re taking the 2013 Billy Roth/Nick Buckner approach, rather than the 2014 Gage Hinsz approach, where they are spreading money around to several different players, rather than just one guy.
