Atlanta Braves wasting little time in getting top draft picks signed.

When you do your homework, the test is easier.  The Atlanta Braves are taking this lesson to heart this week in — quickly – getting many of their top 2022 draft picks inked to deals right away.

The Atlanta Braves are wasting little time in getting their top draft picks signed.

What’s more, they are getting many under contract at reduced amounts – almost certainly because of pre-arranged handshake agreements.  That will help as this process continues… and might also provide some extra funds to coax some undrafted free agents to join the organization as this process continues.

The speed at which this is happening is important for another reason, too:  there are vital deadlines coming up in the next 10-ish days from now:

• Signing deadline for 2022 draftees:  Monday Aug 1, 5pm EDT
• Trade deadline:  Tuesday, Aug 2, 6pm EDT

As if baseball’s General Managers didn’t already have enough to do, now they have to juggle negotiations for both their draftees and trade options with other clubs at the same time.

The Braves are clearly getting a big jump on things this week by getting their new players dealt with… maybe this helps them next week for trade deals?  We’ll have to wait and see on that point.

In the meantime, here’s what’s happened so far over just the past 24 hours (source: @JimCallisMLB on twitter):

• Pick 20 – 1st for Braves Owen Murphy (IL High School RHP):  $2,556,900 (under slot of $3,409,200).
• Pick 57 – *Cole Phillips (TX High School RHP):  $1,497,500 (over the slot value of $1,307,300).
• Pick 76 – Blake Burkhalter (Auburn’s closer):  $647,500 bonus (slot value is $860,100).
• 96/3rd Rounder – Drake Baldwin (Missouri State Catcher):  on slot value at $635,800.
• 155/5th Rounder Ignacio Alvarez Riverside City College, CA 3B):  $497,500 (slot value is $357,400).
• 185/6th Rounder Seth Keller (VA High School RHP):  $697,500 (slot value is $275,100).

* – Phillips is listed as the Braves’ “most intriguing” pick on MLBPipeline.com.

Great Work – Quickly

This is huge to get this many signed so quickly… and undoubtedly, others are being worked on right now (the report of Alvarez’ signing is less than 15 minutes old as this is being typed).

We are therefore awaiting news about Atlanta’s 2nd pick (#35 overall), JR Richie [SEE BELOW], with 4th rounder David McCabe likely also in play soon.

At this moment, the sum of the assigned slot values for the signed players comes to $6,844,900.  The Braves have handed out checks totaling $6,532,700… leaving them $312,200 on the “savings side”… and we have Owen Murphy to thank for most of that.

Teams are allowed to spend 5% above their allotted amounts without a severe penalty (there’s a tax, but no draft pick losses), so the only real complication would come if the Braves were to fail to sign a player.  In such instances, they would lose the right to spend the monies for that player’s slot.

Still, as they are underspending right now, even that wouldn’t be a crippling blow to their efforts this week.

UPDATE:

Note that these are not the signing bonuses, but apparent amounts under the assigned slot values.

ALSO FROM CALLIS:

• PICK 35/RND 1 – JR RITCHIE/RHP, HS (Wash): signed for $2.4 million (over slot of $2,203,200)

So there’s where a chunk of their surplus has been spent.  This accounts for the vast majority of their spending ability.

Of particular note:  only 4th rounder David McCabe (3B/1B/DH) is yet to be accounted for among those selected in the first 10 rounds!

SUNDAY UPDATE — GOT HIM!

Updates will be provided as they come in.