Less than 24 hours before the Monday 5 p.m. ET deadline for signing Draft picks, only four of the 315 players selected in the first 10 rounds had yet to turn pro. The number is down to three now.
Dodgers fourth-rounder Aidan West signed Sunday night, and Marlins supplemental first-rounder Cam Cannarella is expected to do the same on Monday. Pirates second-rounder Angel Cervantes and Dodgers sixth-rounder Mason Ligenza are headed to college.
Cannarella slashed .353/.479/.530 at Clemson this spring while displaying some of the best bat-to-ball skills and center-field defense in the college ranks. His slot (No. 43) comes with an assigned value of $2,276,700, while the Marlins can pay him as much as $2,277,425 without exceeding their bonus pool.
Teams can outspend their bonus pool by up to 5 percent by paying a 75 percent penalty tax on their overage, while eclipsing it by more than that amount would result in the forfeiture of at least one future first-round pick. Miami could pay Cannarella as much as $3,036,975 by going 5 percent over, though it has not surpassed its pool since 2021.
Cervantes, a right-hander from Warren HS (Downey, Calif.), announced on social media Wednesday that he would attend UCLA. The Pirates were unwilling to meet his stated asking price by exceeding their bonus pool, something they did in seven of the first 10 Drafts after these rules came into play in 2012 but haven’t done since 2021.
Pittsburgh could have paid Cervantes as much as $2,592,800 while staying within pool limits and could have increased that amount to as much as $3,297,200 with the 5 percent overage. The 49th overall selection, he starred at the Area Code Games last summer and shows the potential for four solid or better pitches. The Pirates will receive the No. 50 choice in the 2026 Draft as compensation for failing to land him.
After Cervantes’ tweet, the Pirates pivoted to signing 15th-rounder McLane Moody ($460,600) and 17th-rounder Carter Gwost ($497,500) on Saturday, with their bonuses counting a combined $658,100 toward their pool (because the first $150,000 on bonuses after the 10th round is excluded). A righty from Northside HS (Fort Smith, Ark.), Moody is a projectable 6-foot-7, 200-pounder who was also a star quarterback and can run his fastball up to 96 mph. An outfielder from Little Fall HS (Minn.), Gwost is an intriguing left-handed hitter who popped up late in the spring.
The Dodgers signed West, shortstop from Long Reach HS (Columbia, Md.) who has a pretty lefty swing and solid speed, for $1,272,500 — well above the $544,900 slot value at No. 135. They were unable to reach an agreement with Ligenza, a projectable and toolsy outfielder from Tamaqua HS (Pa.) who tweeted on Friday that he would attend Pittsburgh. Only unsigned players in the first three rounds are subject to compensation, so Los Angeles won’t get a consolation pick next year for Ligenza.
The Brewers will be the most interesting club to watch because they still have $1,507,350 remaining in their bonus pool after landing all 12 of their selections in the first 10 rounds as well as 18th-rounder Rylan Mills. They can stretch that surplus to $2,164,255 by using their 5 percent overage and have one collegian, one junior collegian and seven high schoolers who remain unsigned.
