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The Texas Rangers 2021 MLB Draft signing bonus chart is updated, with the news yesterday that the Rangers have signed additional picks.
University of Oregon outfielder Aaron Zavala, the team’s second round pick, is the only top ten pick of the Rangers who is yet to sign. Given that he was in town and there were reports that a deal had been reached, my assumption is that there is some sort of medical concern that arose when the team did the physical. Today is the deadline for picks to sign, and I would be surprised if the Rangers didn’t sign Zavala.
Only three players taken in the first three rounds of the draft are currently unsigned. Along with Zavala, there is Kumar Rocker, the Vanderbilt righthander who was taken by the New York Mets at #11 overall, who, like Zavala, reportedly had an agreement with the Mets. Subsequent reports indicated that the Mets medical review raised concerns about Rocker’s elbow, which has delayed the signing, although it is expected a deal will get done.
The other unsigned pick in the top three rounds is University of Florida outfielder Jud Fabian. Per Jim Callis, the Baltimore Orioles were going to sign Fabian for $3 million had he gotten to them at #41, but the Boston Red Sox picked Fabian one slot ahead of Baltimore, at #40. Fabian wants $3 million, but at this point, with their other deals, Boston can only pay Fabian $2.1 million without losing a draft pick.
The updated chart below shows the Rangers picks, their bonus amounts, and their slot figures. We do not have a number for Thomas Ireland yet, although he reportedly has signed as well. The Rangers are currently $193,300 over their bonus pool, but teams can go up to 5% over without incurring the loss of a draft pick. If the team signs Zavala for slot, they would have $438,750 still available to spend from their bonus pool without losing a draft pick. That would be applied to any bonus amount in excess of $125,000 for any unsigned pick or undrafted free agent signed by Texas going forward.
| Name | Round | Position | School | Slot value | Bonus amount | Overage/Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Leiter | 1 | RHP | Vanderbilt | $7,789,900.00 | $7,922,000.00 | $ 132,100.00 |
| Aaron Zavala | 2 | OF | Oregon | $1,952,300.00 | ||
| Cameron Cauley | 3 | SS | Barbers Hill HS | $857,400.00 | $1,000,000.00 | $ 142,600.00 |
| Ian Moller | 4 | C | Wahlert HS | $565,600.00 | $700,000.00 | $ 134,400.00 |
| Mitchell Bratt | 5 | LHP | GA Premier Acad | $418,200.00 | $850,000.00 | $ 431,800.00 |
| Chase Lee | 6 | RHP | Univ. of Alabama | $312,400.00 | $75,000.00 | $ (237,400.00) |
| Bradford Webb | 7 | RHP | VCU | $243,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $ (233,000.00) |
| Larson Kindreich | 8 | LHP | Biola College | $191,500.00 | $150,000.00 | $ (41,500.00) |
| Liam Hicks | 9 | C | Arkansas State | $161,400.00 | $30,000.00 | $ (131,400.00) |
| C.J. Widger | 10 | LHP | Rowan College | $149,300.00 | $20,000.00 | $ (129,300.00) |
| Jojo Blackmon | 11 | OF | Escambia HS | $250,000.00 | $ 125,000.00 | |
| Jackson Leath | 12 | RHP | U of Tennessee | $125,000.00 | $ - | |
| Thomas Ireland | 13 | LHP | Polk State JC | $ - | ||
| Tucker Mitchell | 14 | C | St Col of FL JC | $ - | ||
| Evan Elliott | 15 | RHP | Lethbridge JC | $125,000.00 | $ - | |
| Ryan Ure | 16 | LHP | Eaton HS | $ - | ||
| Michael Alfonso | 17 | SS | Key West HS | $125,000.00 | $ - | |
| Kyle Larsen | 18 | RHP | TNXL Academy | $ - | ||
| Will Taylor | 19 | OF | Dutch Fork HS | $ - | ||
| Joseph Montalvo | 20 | RHP | CPC Academy | $125,000.00 | $ - | |
| Total | $12,641,000.00 | $11,507,000.00 | $ 193,300.00 | |||
| With 5% overage | $13,273,050.00 | $ (438,750.00) |