Cubs agree to terms with all 20 Draft picks
Below is a list of every player drafted by the Cubs.
Each club had until 5 p.m. ET/2 PT on Tuesday, July 25, to come to terms with its Draft selections. If a player has exhausted his collegiate eligibility, he can sign at any time up until one week prior to the next year’s Draft.
• Draft Central | Day 1 analysis | Day 2 | Day 3 | Best hauls
Draft-and-follow picks -- high school and junior college players selected after the 10th round who attend a two-year college after the Draft -- can sign with their selecting teams for up to $250,000 up until a week prior to the following year’s Draft.
Players drafted from Round 11 on do not count against the bonus pools unless their signing bonus exceeds $150,000; any amount over that total will count against the pool.
Total bonus pool: $8,962,000
MLB rank: 19
1 (13): Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland
Pick value: $4,848,500
Signing bonus: $4,848,500
The Cubs signed Shaw to his slot value, adding a dynamic shortstop with plus power and plate discipline potential. The Big Ten Player of the Year, Shaw hit .341/.445/.697 with 24 homers, 69 RBIs, 18 steals and more walks (43) than strikeouts (42) in 62 games as a junior. He also led Bourne to the Cape Cod League title after hitting .360/.432/.574 in 36 games.
"All the makeup stuff we did on him was exceptionally good," Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. "My conversations with him were really positive. He's always hit. Look what he did in Maryland and what he did in the Cape last year. He's always hit and he's really athletic. I'm just excited to get him and a lot of those guys into the system and let them go."
2C (68): Jaxon Wiggins, RHP, Arkansas
Pick value: $1,101,000
Signing bonus: $1,401,500
Wiggins, 21, missed the entire 2023 season due to having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, but the Cubs saw enough to select him with their compensation pick (via catcher Willson Contreras’ exit in free agency). When healthy, the 6-foot-6 Wiggins showed off a fastball that registered around 94-97 mph, touching 99 mph at times. He featured a slider and a changeup, and the Cubs’ pitching group was intrigued by a curveball that had some “untapped” potential, according to vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz.
3 (81): Josh Rivera, SS, Florida
Pick value: $872,400
Signing bonus: $725,000
Rivera, who MLB Pipeline ranked as the 87th overall prospect in the 2023 Draft, is viewed as one of the better four-year college players from this year’s class. The 22-year-old is coming off a stellar final season at Florida, where he slashed .348/.447/.617 with a 1.064 OPS, hitting 19 home runs and tallying 72 RBIs. Rivera also wrapped up his college career displaying improved patience at the plate, finishing with more walks (46) last season than strikeouts (35).
4 (113): Will Sanders, RHP, South Carolina
Pick value: $591,800
Signing bonus: $600,000
Sanders was MLB Pipeline’s No. 135-ranked prospect in the Draft. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-hander's fastball velocity sits 92-94 mph and touches 96, and he also wields a changeup, curveball and slider. In three seasons with the Gamecocks, Sanders posted a 4.08 ERA with 222 strikeouts and 68 walks in 205 1/3 innings.
5 (149): Michael Carico, C, Davidson
Pick value: $416,900
Signing bonus: $400,000
Carico, 20, is ranked No. 110 in Pipeline's Draft prospect list and is known for his plus power and plate discipline. The catcher hit .406 with 21 homers as a 19-year-old sophomore for Davidson, and then followed that by hitting .350/.514/.688 in 21 games this season, during which he was limited by injury. In his three-year college career, Carico had more walks (77) than strikeouts (66).
6 (176): Alfonsin Rosario, OF, P27 Academy (SC)
Pick value: $325,600
Signing bonus: $325,600
7 (206): Yahil Melendez, SS, B You Academy (PR)
Pick value: $254,500
Signing bonus: $400,000
8 (236): Brett Bateman, OF, Minnesota
Pick value: $203,600
Signing bonus: $180,000
9 (266): Jonathon Long, 1B, Long Beach State
Pick value: $179,400
Signing bonus: $179,400
10 (296): Luis Martinez-Gomez, RHP, Temple Col
Pick value: $168,300
Signing bonus; $100,000
Cubs announced July 16 that they signed Martinez-Gomez.
11 (326): Zyhir Hope, OF, Colonial Forge High School (VA)
Signing bonus: $400,000
12 (356): Carter Trice, 2B, NC State
Signing bonus: $150,000
13 (386): Sam Armstrong, RHP, Old Dominion
Signing bonus: $135,000
14 (416): Grayson Moore, RHP, Vanderbilt
Signing bonus: $150,000
15 (446): Ty Johnson, RHP, Ball State
Signing bonus: $125,000
16 (476): Daniel Brown, LHP, Campbell University
Signing bonus: $150,000
17 (506): Ethan Flanagan, LHP, UCLA
Signing bonus: $150,000
18 (536): Brian Kalmer, 3B, Gonzaga
Signing bonus: $50,000
19 (566): Nick Dean, RHP, Maryland
Signing bonus: $75,000
20 (596): Drew Bowser, 3B, Stamford
Signing bonus: $150,000
Every team's signings:
ALW: HOU | LAA | OAK | SEA | TEX
ALC: CLE | CWS | DET | KC | MIN
ALE: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
NLW: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF
NLC: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NLE: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
How bonus pools and pick values work
Each choice in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club's selections equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn't sign, his pick's value gets subtracted from his team's pool. Clubs near the top of the Draft often spend less than the assigned value for those choices and use the savings to offer more money to later selections.
Teams that exceed their bonus pool face a penalty. Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, clubs lose future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Bonus pools by club
Pirates: $16,185,700
Tigers: $15,747,200
Nationals: $14,502,400
Twins: $14,345,600
Athletics: $14,255,600
Reds: $13,785,200
Mariners: $13,170,900
Marlins: $12,829,600
Royals: $12,313,500
Rockies: $11,909,800
D-backs: $11,084,300
Brewers: $10,950,600
Rays: $10,872,100
Orioles: $10,534,800
Red Sox: $10,295,100
Rangers: $9,925,300
Giants: $9,916,900
White Sox: $9,072,800
Cubs: $8,962,000
Guardians: $8,736,700
Mets: $8,440,400
Braves: $8,341,700
Angels: $8,328,900
Dodgers: $7,274,600
Astros: $6,747,900
Blue Jays: $6,529,700
Cardinals: $6,375,100
Padres: $5,416,000
Yankees: $5,299,400
Phillies: $5,185,500