Blue Jays, Blaine Bullard, Agree to Record-Breaking MLB Bonus Deal

The Toronto Blue Jays made a deal with Blaine Bullard that set a Major League record for the bonus in his draft round.

Apr 16, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays and 12th round pick Blaine Bullard set a Major League Baseball record with his contract, signed on Friday.

Bullard, who played at Klein (Texas) Cain High School, was taken No. 352 overall in the MLB draft. He was taken so late that his selection doesn’t have a slot bonus. MLB only allots slot bonuses for the picks in the first 10 rounds.

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Teams like the Blue Jays are free to pay picks after the 10th round whatever they want. But Toronto could have signed Bullard to a $150,000 deal and it would not have counted toward their draft bonus poll.

Instead, the Blue Jays were so high on him that, per MLB.com, they signed him to a $1.697 million bonus. Per the site, it is the largest bonus ever given to a 12th round selection.

Bullard was committed to Texas A&M and that commitment was considered a strong one until the Blue Jays stepped up with an offer.

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He signed the same day that the Blue Jays came to terms with their first-round pick, prep shortstop JoJo Parker, out of Purvis, Miss.

Parker signed a deal worth $6.2 million, less than the expected slot value for the No. 8 overall selection, which was $6.813 million.

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Toronto also doesn’t have a second-round pick after signing outfielder Anthony Santander in the offseason. In addition, the Blue Jays, per MLB.com, signed two draft picks to $5,000 bonus deals to save slot money — eighth-round pick Danny Thompson Jr. and 10th round pick Austin Smith. Thompson is a pitcher and Smith is an outfielder. Both were collegiate players that were out of eligibility.

The only other Blue Jays pick that has signed is Fourth-round pick Micah Bucknam, who signed a $678,300 deal, just under the $680,000 slot value for the No. 143 overall pick.

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