This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MILWAUKEE -- Last weekend, the Brewers made one last in-person pitch to Chris Levonas, the 18-year-old right-hander from New Jersey whom they selected 67th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. With the signing deadline looming, it was time for Levonas to decide whether to begin his professional career now or go to Wake Forest to play college ball on a scholarship.

Levonas chose college.

The Brewers quickly pivoted.

Over the course of the final four days prior to Thursday's 4 p.m. CT deadline, the Brewers emptied what remained of their signing pool to ink four more late-round picks, all pitchers: 13th rounder Joey Broughton (who signed for $535,000, according to MLB.com’s Jim Callis), 15th rounder Travis Smith ($462,500), 16th rounder Jayden Dubanewicz ($665,000) and 18th rounder Tyler Renz ($852,500).

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Three of those late-signing pitchers are high school players who faced a similar choice as Levonas between college or pro ball. Broughton, from Northville High School in the Detroit suburbs (his name is pronounced BRO-ton), was a highly-regarded prospect committed to the University of Pittsburgh who was available in the 13th round because of an elbow injury. Dubanewicz is a right-hander from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., who had a scholarship waiting at Florida. And Renz is a right-hander from Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., who was poised to go to St. Johns.

Now, while Levonas goes to Wake Forest, those other pitchers will go to American Family Fields of Phoenix, the Brewers’ year-round training facility in Arizona.

“We certainly made a good effort and he considered it,” said Tod Johnson, the Brewers' vice president of domestic scouting. “He spent some time thinking about it and decided he would go to school. It wasn’t like we immediately knew he wasn’t going to sign the day we drafted him. He had a good commitment to Wake, and we knew it would take some convincing. We put our best foot forward and made a good effort, and it didn’t go that way.”

Callis reported that the Brewers offered Levonas “late first-round money” to convince him to sign (for reference, the final compensation pick prior to Round 2 had a slot value of $2.4 million).

Levonas was one of four players drafted in the top 10 rounds who did not sign, along with fellow supplemental second-rounder Tyler Bell (Rays), third-rounder Ryan Prager (Angels) and ninth-rounder Jaxon Jelkin (Mets).

And because Levonas didn’t sign, the Brewers will get an extra selection in next year’s Draft at No. 68 overall.

“I thought we gave it a good effort,” Johnson said. “I think the kid was impressed with what we presented to him. He just decided that at this time, Wake was the right choice for him. He’s going to need to do well [to move up for the next time he’s Draft eligible] and I think he will. There’s a reason we drafted him as high as we did.”

Among the pitchers who signed in the wake of Levonas’ decision, Broughton has a fascinating story considering he didn’t throw a single pitch in his senior season because of an elbow injury. Initially diagnosed with a partially torn UCL, Broughton played first base and served as a DH instead before learning later that he had a more serious injury that required surgery on July 2 -- just 12 days before the start of the Draft.

“We’ve been pretty comfortable taking guys who have had Tommy John or need Tommy John,” said Johnson, referencing past Brewers picks such as Drew Rasmussen in the sixth round in 2018 and '23 picks Jason Woodward (fourth round) and Justin Chambers (20th round).

The Brewers wound up trading Rasmussen to the Rays as a key piece of the Willy Adames deal on May 21, 2021, and they dealt Chambers to the Dodgers on Jan. 3 for lefty relief ace Bryan Hudson. Woodward got back on the mound in June and has made four rehab appearances for the Brewers in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

“There’s no 100 percent guarantee that guys are going to come back from [surgery] and be what he was before,” Johnson said. “But we know what the odds are. As long as we’re comfortable with the way things are looking, we’ll take a chance there. We might get some better upside at that pick than if the kid were healthy at the time.”

Dubanewicz (6-foot-3) and Renz (6-foot-4) are similar in that they have the size and projectability that scouts love in high school arms. Renz is also the youngest player in Milwaukee’s Draft class; he doesn’t turn 18 until Nov. 24.

All told, the Brewers signed 16 of their 22 Draft picks.