Once again, the Blue Jays will select with the 20th overall pick. They were originally slated by several publications to select 22nd overall, but the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees went over the Luxury Tax penalty resulting in their pick dropping 10 spots.
The Blue Jays will select 20th overall this season for the second consecutive year. They took Arjun Nimmala, a high school shortstop who was rated by several experts as the 10th best prospect, in the 2023 draft.
The Jays not only chose a player that was superior to the pick they received, but they also offered him a $3,000,000 contract, which is significantly less than the $3,750,000 that was originally assigned to this pick. Naturally, they put those savings to better use by selecting a lot more individuals who were not as highly regarded as scouts had.
The signing bonus would have been worth $3,500,000 if the Jays had selected 22nd. This means they would have had an extra $250,000 to sign players, which is always significant in the later rounds.
In addition, if Matt Chapman signs, the Jays will receive a fourth-round pick, which could be worth as much as $450,000 or $500,000 more. They will obviously forfeit their second-round pick and the associated bonus pool if they sign a player with a qualifying offer, like Shohei Ohtani, but you can accept that deal any day of the week.
In other news, the Cleveland Guardians, who had a 2% chance of winning, won the lottery and will receive the first overall pick. The Cincinnati Reds, who had an even less 0.9% chance of taking home the championship, will select second. In the American League East, the Boston Red Sox hold the top pick (12th), followed by the Rays (18th), Orioles (22nd), and Yankees (25th).
Even if the draft is still a long way off in July, it’s still thrilling!
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