Guardians unable to ink 2nd-round pick Schmidt by signing deadline

CINCINNATI -- The Guardians were hopeful lefty Logan Schmidt was ready to turn pro after selecting him in the second round of the 2026 MLB Draft. He ultimately will not be joining the Cleveland Pitching Factory assembly line, after all.

The Guardians failed to reach an agreement with Schmidt, who was the No. 59 overall pick in the Draft, prior to Monday’s 5 p.m. ET signing deadline. Cleveland will receive the No. 60 overall pick in the 2027 Draft as compensation for not coming to terms with the 18-year-old.

“We took him knowing there was uncertainty on whether or not we'd be able to sign him, and we did everything we could to try to work towards an agreement,” Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff said of Schmidt. “And unfortunately, in this case, we weren't able to.

“We wish him the best. We feel like he's got a really bright future, and we were really hopeful he'd sign. But we just couldn't run it.”

The Guardians' bonus pool was worth $9,303,700, and the No. 59 pick’s assigned slot value was $1,598,900. Teams may exceed their pool by up to 5 percent by paying a 75 percent penalty tax on the overage. Exceeding it any further comes with the loss of at least one first-round pick.

With what remained in their pool, the Guardians could have offered Schmidt $1,678,845 at most without facing a penalty.

Schmidt attended Ganesha High School in Pomona, Calif., and just turned 18 on Thursday. He reclassified to be Draft-eligible this year, and he is committed to play collegiately at LSU. He could fulfill that pledge after not coming to terms with the Guardians. He also has the option to play at a junior college and be eligible for the Draft next year.

In a social media post, Schmidt wrote of the Guardians, “I have a great deal of respect for that organization and for everyone I met throughout this process. We were not able to come to an agreement, but I appreciate the time they invested in getting to know me and my family.”

Landing a compensatory pick softens the blow here for the Guardians. It will be among four picks they have early in the Draft next year, along with their first- and second-round selections and a pick in Competitive Balance Round B. But this is a bit of a tough moment for Cleveland.

Schmidt was one of two high-upside pitchers set to anchor the Guardians’ 2026 Draft class, alongside right-hander and first-round pick Liam Peterson. The lefty has already demonstrated starting pitcher qualities. His fastball has been up to 98 mph. He also has advanced feel for his changeup and features a slider.

Schmidt is multiple years away from the Majors, but he would have injected a plus pitching prospect into a farm system that could use some replenished depth. On MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Prospects list for the Guardians, there are just 10 pitchers, including just three in the Top 10 in Braylon Doughty (No. 4 prospect, No. 92 overall), Justin Campbell (No. 9) and Khal Stephen No. 10.

Stephen is expected to miss 10 to 12 months after he underwent right UCL repair surgery on July 6.

“We always try to sign our Draft picks, and we've had a really good track record of doing that,” Chernoff said. “We rely on drafting, developing, trading for guys. But it is a protected pick. It delays it by a year, but it certainly has some impact.”

MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reported Friday the Guardians came to terms with Peterson for the full slot value of the No. 19 overall pick ($4,530,500). With him, Schmidt and any prospect, the Guardians put in a lot of effort evaluating the player’s signability.

Cleveland picked Schmidt knowing what could happen, and they’ll go their separate ways now.

“This was not a scouting fault in any way,” Chernoff said. “We knew what the situation was and our scouts did a phenomenal job of that. In the end, with that uncertainty, we couldn't bridge the gap between where he wanted to be and where we were able to be.”