[h=1]Orioles sign top 2019 MLB Draft pick Adley Rutschman to record-breaking $8.1 million bonus[/h]
Earlier in the month, the Baltimore Orioles2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft: Complete results tracker as Orioles take Adley Rutschman first overall with the No. 1 pick. On Monday, the two sides reached an agreement on a record-breaking deal that will see Rutschman receive an $8.1 million signing bonus, topping the previous high set by Gerrit Cole ($8 million) when he was the No. 1 pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011.
It's not a coincidence that Cole, the last No. 1 pick before slotting was instituted in 2012, held the record for nearly eight years. Baseball's hard-slotting system exploits young players by removing leverage from their side -- even the No. 1 picks, who have since averaged a $6.3 million signing bonus. For perspective, No. 1 pick Tim Beckham signed for $6.15 million in 2008.
The Orioles have now signed all but one of their top-10 round selections. The holdout is third-rounder Zach Watson, an outfielder from LSU whose slot value is less than $800,000.
- By R.J. Anderson
- <time id="temp" datetime="2019-06-24 23:05:56 UTC" data-component="dateTimeAgo" data-date-time-ago-options="**"day":"24","hour":"23","min":"05","month":"6","year":"2019"**" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">11 hrs ago</time> • 1 min read
Earlier in the month, the Baltimore Orioles2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft: Complete results tracker as Orioles take Adley Rutschman first overall with the No. 1 pick. On Monday, the two sides reached an agreement on a record-breaking deal that will see Rutschman receive an $8.1 million signing bonus, topping the previous high set by Gerrit Cole ($8 million) when he was the No. 1 pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011.
It's not a coincidence that Cole, the last No. 1 pick before slotting was instituted in 2012, held the record for nearly eight years. Baseball's hard-slotting system exploits young players by removing leverage from their side -- even the No. 1 picks, who have since averaged a $6.3 million signing bonus. For perspective, No. 1 pick Tim Beckham signed for $6.15 million in 2008.
The Orioles have now signed all but one of their top-10 round selections. The holdout is third-rounder Zach Watson, an outfielder from LSU whose slot value is less than $800,000.
