Little drama remains on the final day leading up to the Draft Signing Deadline, which is today at 5 p.m. ET. Only three players in the top 10 rounds have yet to sign pro contracts, and Guardians second-rounder Logan Schmidt won't.
A left-hander from Ganesha HS (Pomona, Calif.), Schmidt announced yesterday on social media that he won't come to terms with Cleveland. The Guardians drafted him at No. 59, which comes with an assigned pick value of $1,598,900. Given the money remaining in their bonus pool, they could offer him a maximum of $1,678,845 without forfeiting a future first-round selection.
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Cleveland will receive the No. 60 choice in the 2027 Draft as compensation for failure to land Schmidt. Ranked No. 45 on MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 250, Schmidt has a commitment to Louisiana State. He also could attend a junior college, which would make him eligible for next year's Draft.
In the last four Drafts, just one player selected in the top 60 picks has failed to turn pro. Last year, the Pirates drafted Warren HS (Downey, Calif.) right-hander Angel Cervantes at No. 50 but were unwilling to meet his stated asking price by exceeding their 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.
Teams can outspend their bonus pools by up to 5 percent by paying a 75 percent penalty tax on their overage. Eclipsing it by more than that amount would result in the loss of at least one future first-round pick. All bonuses in the first 10 rounds count toward the pool, as does any amount over $150,000 for individual bonuses in rounds 11-20.
As of Monday morning, the only other players in the top 10 rounds who had yet to officially finalize contracts were Dana Hills HS (Dana Point, Calif.) right-hander Gavin Giese (third round, Rays) and Clemson right-hander Aidan Knaak (fifth, Brewers). Giese should sign with Tampa Bay today while Knaak's future is more uncertain because Clemson is trying to retain him with a strong NIL offer.
There also could be a few over-slot signings in rounds 11-20 today. Candidates include Clovis HS right-hander Logan Georges (11th round, Rays), Columbia (Tenn.) Central HS third baseman Jack Beck (13th, Astros) and some combination of four prepsters selected by the Brewers: Mankato (Minn.) East HS outfielder Carson Hart (13th), Millikan HS (Long Beach, Calif.) left-hander Daunte Bell (14th), Mountain Vista HS (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) righty Keaton Maiorana (15th) and George County HS (Lucedale, Miss.) righty Bradyn Havard (16th).