Details of Braves' signing bonuses show a welcome change from recent draft classes

Florida St. infielder Alex Lodise (1) reacts to his double at second base during the first inning of an NCAA college baseball matchup Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Fla. FSU rallied to defeat UF 8-4 off a walk-off grand slam from Alex Lodise in the ninth inning. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Florida St. infielder Alex Lodise (1) reacts to his double at second base during the first inning of an NCAA college baseball matchup Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Fla. FSU rallied to defeat UF 8-4 off a walk-off grand slam from Alex Lodise in the ninth inning. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gone are the days when there would routinely be at least one or two top picks in the MLB Draft that would not sign with the teams that picked. The Atlanta Braves themselves had that very situation several years ago when they failed to sign Carter Stewart after picking him eighth overall because of medical concerns with his wrist. Nowadays, teams make absolutely certain a player will sign before picking them, thereby eliminating some of the drama.

However, that doesn't mean that there isn't information that fans should keep an eye on when it comes to draft picks signing and their bonuses. Now that the Braves' signing bonuses for their picks in rounds 1-10 are known, figuring out exactly how much guys got paid could (and should) color fans' expectations as to whether the team thinks a pick has a lot of potential.

Braves have agreed to terms with first 11 picks and the terms reveal a new path forward for the front office

For determining a team's draft bonus pool in a given year, only the picks in round 1-10 matter which is why teams almost universally make sure that a player is going to sign at an agreed upon amount before they pick them. For picks after round 10, teams can give them bonuses up to $150,000 without dipping into their bonus pool at all. Here is a look at how the Braves' picks in rounds 1-10 ended up.

Player

Position

Signing Bonus

Tate Southisene

SS

$2,622,500

Alex Lodise

SS

$1,297,500

Cody Miller

SS

$297,500

Briggs McKenzie

LHP

$2,997,500

Dixon Williams

2B

$497,500

Conor Essenburg

OF

$1,197,500

Landon Beidelschies

LHP

$297,500

Zach Royse

RHP

$197,500

Carter Lovasz

RHP

$7,500

Logan Braunschweig

OF

$2,500

Kade Woods

RHP

$2,500

Well, this is certainly different from what we have come to expect from the Braves. Saving money on the early picks to give a couple players on Day Two overslot bonuses looks familiar, but Atlanta has almost universally gone with pitchers with those early picks since Alex Anthopoulos took over.

Instead, the Braves recognized that they just don't have athleticism or upside when it comes to position player prospects right now. Picking shortstops with their first three picks isn't something that many had on their bingo cards for the 2025 MLB Draft, but one can at least understand the impulse. Not everyone is going to work out and there is a chance that they move to different positions, but this gives Atlanta multiple shots at a long-term solution at short.

Failing that, they still got to spend a bunch of money on an arm in Briggs McKenzie who the Braves clearly think was a borderline first round pick solely on talent given how much they paid him. As to whether this is a good plan that was executed well, we won't know that for a couple years.

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