Nick Senzel signed with the Cincinnati Reds for about $1.5-million less than the $7.62 million slot value assigned to the No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 MLB draft.
Reds’ owner Bob Castellini has to like how the slot-value assignment behind baseball’s draft system unfolded in favor of his small-market team.
On the other hand, the $6.2-million signing bonus for Senzel had to make Senzel’s agent Scott Boras cringe at the loss of potential dollars a No. 2 overall draft pick could command.
In 2013, Boras client Kris Bryant commanded more than Senzel as the No. 2 overall pick of that year’s draft.
Only time will tell if Senzel lives up to the signing bonus he did receive, much less the slot value. Senzel is more likely to turn out to be in line with the last No. 2 overall pick by the Reds — Kurt Stillwell in 1983 — than Kris Bryant in any event.
Perhaps the lesser amount agreed to by Boras reflects the difference in Senzel’s talent level alone, but for the Reds, the $1.5 million saved by shorting Boras and his client allowed them to heap additional signing bonus money on prep star Taylor Trammell, who received $3.2 million instead of the $1.8-million slot value for the 35th overall pick.
Trammell can thank Boras for that in part but also Jet Sports Management, which is listed as Trammell’s draft advisor in addition to the advisor for Reds’ second-round pick Chris Okey and Reds’ fourth-round pick Scott Moss. Okey also signed an above-slot deal that was $500,000 more than the assigned value.
Ultimately, the Reds’ 2016 draft will be judged from the money side by the Senzel and Trammell picks tied together. If Trammell turns out to be more like a No. 2 overall talent, Senzel’s production won’t be as critical to the success of this draft.
If the Reds do strike gold with Senzel, it’s unlikely he’ll play past six years with the Reds due to Boras’ priority of testing free agency over negotiating contract extensions.
But a highly successful Senzel — especially sooner rather than later — would be more than enough in return for dealing with Boras in the future.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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