McLain, rest of UCLA baseball's 2021 MLB Draft class sign contracts
The first batch of Bruins to go pro this summer largely signed below their respective slots.
Good things come to those who wait, apparently, as the opposite can be said for the second wave of Westwood's prospective pro ballplayers.
Shortstop Matt McLain, right-hander Nick Nastrini, catcher Noah Cardenas, right-hander Adrian Chaidez and right-hander Zach Pettway each signed with MLB organizations over the past few days, joining first baseman JT Schwartz, center fielder Kevin Kendall, right-hander Jesse Bergin, right-hander Sean Mullen and infielder Mikey Perez, who signed last week. The ten UCLA baseball players made up the largest draft class of any school in the country this year.
As the Cleveland Indians' 16th-round pick, Pettway signed for $75,000 on Friday, the same amount Chaidez signed for with the Houston Astros on Saturday.
Nastrini kept things rolling Sunday when he agreed to a $500,000 deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers after they selected him in the fourth round earlier this month. McLain, who was drafted No. 17 overall by the Cincinnati Reds, came to terms with his new team Monday for $4.625 million, just hours after Cardenas signed with the Minnesota Twins for $200,000.
The last three Bruins to sign made the most of their extra few days of negotiation, with each of them signing above their picks' slot values.
McLain secured $1.025 million more than his slot called for. Nastrini signed for $69,200 over his $430,800 slot. Cardenas, who was slotted in at $164,700, got $35,300 more than that.
Schwartz was the first UCLA alum to sign this summer, agreeing to a $475,000 deal with the New York Mets on July 20, while Kendall signed a $200,000 contract with the Mets on July 22. Both Bruins-turned-Mets signed for below their respective slots – Schwartz by $47,600 and Kendall by $27,700.
The fact that both were Mets draft picks very likely played into them both signing underslot deals.
New York drafted Vanderbilt star pitcher Kumar Rocker in the first round, but has yet to sign him. The Mets have already signed their next nine draft picks, each to contracts at or under their slots.
By saving a total of $881,100 on those nine contracts, New York can offer those savings directly to Rocker in addition to his $4.74 million slot value.
Regardless of where they went and for how much, none of UCLA's 10 draftees will be able to return to the program in the future.
There's one loose end left to be tied up for the Bruins – UCLA-committed right-hander Eric Silva, who was drafted No. 115 overall by the San Francisco Giants, has until Aug. 1 to decide between a pro contract and college ball. The Giants have $1.02 million in underslot savings built up, meaning they are likely lining up a massive deal for the JSerra product.
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