Two pitchers selected in the first 10 rounds of Major League Baseball’s 2024 amateur draft declined to sign by the Monday deadline, marking them as the only players in that group not to reach agreements with their drafting teams.
Logan Schmidt, an 18-year-old left-handed pitcher from Ganesha High School in California, was taken 59th overall in the second round by the Cleveland Guardians. Schmidt has indicated plans to pursue college baseball, with Louisiana State University (LSU) or a junior college as likely options. As a result of Schmidt not signing, the Guardians will receive an additional draft pick in 2025 at No. 60.
The other unsigned prospect is Aidan Knaak, a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher selected 163rd overall in the fifth round by the Milwaukee Brewers. Knaak is expected to return to Clemson University for a fourth collegiate season rather than turning professional this year.
In contrast, several other high-profile draftees finalized deals just before the deadline. Among them is right-hander Gavin Giese, picked 85th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round, who signed for a reported $997,500 bonus. Giese is the son of former major leaguer Dan Giese, who pitched in the majors from 2007 to 2009 with teams including the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and Oakland Athletics.
The total sum of signing bonuses awarded in the 2024 draft rose to $409.3 million, surpassing last year’s $401.8 million figure. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, chosen first overall by the Chicago White Sox, secured a record-setting bonus of $10.35 million.
Major League Baseball recently announced plans to reshape the amateur draft beginning in 2027. The proposed changes include reducing the rounds from 20 to 12, removing eligibility for high school and junior college players, and instituting a hard salary cap for draft signing bonuses totaling $200 million.
Notably, only two players outside of the top 10 rounds also declined to sign this year: right-handed pitcher Angel Cervantes, selected 50th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round, and outfielder Mason Ligenza, chosen 195th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round. Pittsburgh received an additional pick at No. 51 in compensation for Cervantes’ decision.
The signing deadline does not restrict players who have exhausted their college eligibility; they retain until a week before the 2025 draft to sign contracts.
Several teams—including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee, New York Yankees, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, and Oakland—exceeded their assigned signing bonus pools by exactly 5%, the maximum permitted before incurring penalties such as losing a first-round pick in the next draft. Historical data shows no team has ever surpassed its signing bonus pool by more than that threshold.