TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays and second-round pick Hagen Danner are in agreement on a signing bonus worth about $1.5 million, according to two industry sources.
The deal, which is well above the 61st spot’s assigned value of $1,043,200, is pending a physical.
Danner starred at Huntington Beach High School and was scouted by teams as both a catcher and pitcher, but the Blue Jays see him as a backstop with a chance to star both at the plate and behind it.
He has a commitment to UCLA.
Once completed, first-rounders Logan Warmoth, the No. 22 pick with a slot value of 2,795,200, and Nate Pearson, the No. 28 selection with a slot value of 2,302,900, would be the Blue Jays’ lone remaining unsigned picks from the first 10 rounds.
The Blue Jays have a total bonus pool of $8,230,400 for the first 10 rounds (players selected after the 10th round can sign for up to $125,000, with an overage counted against their pool).
Teams that outspend their pools are subject to a sliding scale of penalties, starting with a 75 per cent tax on any overage up to five per cent. Any overages beyond five per cent include taxes and the forfeiture of future draft picks.
The Blue Jays can outspend their pool by about $411,000 before losing a future pick. The agreement with Danner put them at an overage of about $155,000, leaving them roughly $5.354 million to spread between Warmoth and Pearson.
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