The Detroit Tigers made Arizona State infielder Spencer Torkelson the No. 1 pick in the overall draft on June 5. Now, they’re poised to sign him with the highest signing bonus ever paid, according to Lynn Henning of Detroit News.
MLB.com’s Jason Beck wrote on Wednesday
Avila said Wednesday that they hope to reach an agreement. The Torkelson deal will most likely be finalized in the coming days. He is expected to be considered for the Tigers’ 60-man spring training list, allowing him to participate in the camp and train the rest of the summer as part of the taxi squad. That list of 60 men must be submitted by Sunday night.
The Tigers also struck a deal with outfielder Daniel Cabrera for a $ 1.2 million signing bonus, which is almost $ 100,000 above the slot value. Cabrera was chosen with the Tigers’ competitive balance pick in Round B, which follows the second round of the draft. The two signings complete the shortened recruitment of six Tigers players.
Torkelson is set to sign a record bonus of $ 8,416,300, which is $ 1,000 above the slot value for the first overall draft pick. The bonus breaks the previous record of $ 8,100,000 that the Baltimore Orioles gave Adley Rutschman in his first overall pick in 2019.
The highest bonus paid by the Tigers is the $ 7.5 million the Tigers gave Casey Mize, the first overall pick in 2018. Torkelson becomes the first player to be selected first overall and receives a bonus signature that is above the slot value. Rutschman and Mize signed below the value of the space.
Baseball America ranks Torkelson as No. 11 in baseball overall in his top 100 prospects, and he is No. 38 in the FanGraphs ranking. He hit .337 / .463 / .729 with 54 home runs in 628 plate appearances while playing at first base at Arizona State, although the Tigers recruited him as third base.
This chart shows the Tigers’ draft picks with their signature bonuses and slot values.
Detroit Tigers Transfer Project
| Round | Usually | Player | Position | School | Slot assignment | 5% on the slot | Signing bonus | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Usually | Player | Position | School | Slot assignment | 5% on the slot | Signing bonus | Difference |
| one | one | Spencer Torkelson | 3B | Arizona St | $ 8,415,300 | 8,836,065 | 8,416,300 | 1,000 |
| two | 38 | Dillon Dingler | C | Ohio State | 1,952,300 | 2,028,915 | 1,952,300 | 0 0 |
| two | 62 | Danny Cabrera | OF | LSU | 1,102,700 | 1,157,835 | 1,200,000 | 97,300 |
| 3 | 73 | Trei Cruz | H.H | Rice | 857,400 | 900,270 | 900,000 | 42,600 |
| 4 4 | 102 | Gage Workman | 3B | Arizona St | 571,400 | 599,970 | 1,000,000 | 428,600 |
| 5 5 | 132 | Keith foal | 3B | Biloxi HS, Miss | 426,600 | 447,930 | 500,000 | 73,400 |
| Total | 13,325,700 | 13,991,985 | 13,968,600 | 642,900 |
The Tigers paid signing bonuses of just under $ 14 million or $ 642,900 above the slot value. Five of the six players signed bonuses above the slot value. If they had spent another $ 23,285, they would have been more than 5 percent above their total bonus, which would have cost them a tax of 100 percent of the surplus plus the loss of a first-round pick next season. No team has exceeded more than 5 percent. As it stands, the Tigers will pay a tax of 75 percent of the surplus, which is $ 482,175.
Thanks to the now infamous “March deal” between big league owners and players, draft bonuses stayed the same in 2020 as they did in 2019. Otherwise, they would increase by 3 percent. Additionally, players will receive only $ 100,000 of their signing bonuses within 30 days of signing, with 50% of the remaining bonuses paid on July 1, 2021 and the other 50% paid on July 1, 2022. .
Players who were not selected in the first five rounds can only receive a $ 20,000 bonus. Sixth round recruits received bonuses of more than $ 600,000 before the March deal. Even at that offer price, the Tigers have not signed any undrafted free agents.
