Mariners agree to terms with top Draft picks

HOUSTON -- Pitchers Nick Neidert and Andrew Moore, the Mariners' first two picks in this week's MLB Draft, have agreed to contract terms, the club announced on Friday.

Neidert, a right-hander out of Peachtree Ridge High School in Lawrenceville, Ga., was the 60th overall selection in the second round. Moore, a right-hander from Oregon State, was selected with a Competitive Balance B pick (72nd overall).

The Mariners didn't release contract terms, but Moore said after he was drafted on Monday that he'd agreed to an $800,000 signing bonus, which is $52,800 under the slot value assigned to the 72nd pick by MLB.

Video: Draft 2015: Mariners draft RHP Andrew Moore No. 72

The slot value for Neidert's 60th pick is $1,025,900. Teams are assigned slot values for their top 10 round selections and can use that pool of money however they see fit. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $100,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.

Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75 percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75 percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100 percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100 percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.

Because they didn't have a first-round pick after signing free agent Nelson Cruz, the Mariners assigned pool total of $4,186,900 ranks 27th in the Majors.