Young baseball players dream of making it to the major leagues, often dedicating years of their lives and spending significant amounts of money in pursuit of an MLB opportunity. For some, that journey ends with multimillion-dollar signing bonuses.
But for three Atlanta Braves draft picks selected within the first 10 rounds this year, just $500 each was enough to convince them to begin their professional careers.
Rather than using their eighth- ninth- and 10th-round selections on players who could have demanded bonuses in the $200,000-to-$250,000 range, Atlanta targeted three college seniors—Parker Brosius, Jacob Jarrell, and Ben Zeigler-Namoa—who likely would have been drafted much later, if selected at all.
The unusual strategy allowed the Braves to save $653,000, which they could then redirect toward higher-priority selections.
One rival scouting director described the signings as surprising, noting that such a strategy only works when players are willing to accept significantly smaller bonuses, giving teams greater flexibility to spend earlier in the draft.
Atlanta isn’t alone in taking this approach. In recent drafts, the Angels, Dodgers, Nationals, Blue Jays, Padres and Rangers have also signed players for less than 2.5% of their assigned slot values. This year, Toronto and Texas even signed players for bonuses worth less than 1% of their respective slot values.
In some cases, including the Braves’ signings, teams also included a $2,500 signing-contingency bonus as part of the deal.
Even so, the extremely small bonuses offered by Atlanta caught many rival scouting directors and agents off guard. Several questioned how teams should approach college players who have the opportunity to earn significant money through NIL agreements while still playing at Division I programs.
The unusual deals also sparked a broader debate within the industry over whether signing players for such minimal amounts is consistent with the intended spirit of the MLB Draft. Many of those familiar with the situation, speaking anonymously to The Athletic, expressed surprise at how aggressively teams are using this strategy.
Braves vice president of amateur scouting Ronit Shah and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos declined to discuss the strategy, while a team spokesperson said Atlanta was hesitant to comment publicly because the approach is considered “proprietary.”
The reasoning behind the tactic is relatively simple. Every MLB team receives a predetermined bonus pool for the draft and cannot exceed that amount when signing players selected in the first 10 rounds without facing penalties. Clubs routinely sign certain players for less than their assigned slot value so they can redirect the savings toward other prospects.
In 2026, bonus pools ranged from approximately $20.5 million for the White Sox to just under $4 million for the Dodgers. Atlanta entered the draft with the eighth-largest pool at $15.87 million.
The Braves used the money saved from their $500 signings to strengthen other parts of their draft class. They gave 11th-round selection Ryan Barker a $697,500 bonus, equivalent to the slot value of a typical fourth-round pick, while also going above slot for second-rounder Kaiden McCarthy and sixth-rounder Tyson Grulkowski. Third-round pick Jensen Hirschkorn received an unprecedented $3,997,500, the largest bonus ever awarded to a player selected in that round, helping convince him to forgo his commitment to LSU.
All four of those players had been expected to play Division I baseball before the draft. The Braves’ three $500 signees, meanwhile, were college seniors, with Zeigler-Namoa having already spent five seasons in college baseball.
One agent argued that Atlanta simply took advantage of the system. College seniors have very little leverage because they cannot return to the draft with the same eligibility, making them attractive options for teams looking to preserve bonus-pool money. MLB introduced the bonus-pool system in 2012, but clubs have continually found ways to maximize their resources within its framework.
The Braves’ strategy still caught several rival scouting directors by surprise. Some said they hadn’t encountered $500 signing bonuses in years, particularly not for players selected within the first 10 rounds.
The growing influence of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money could make these strategies even more common. Top college baseball programs are increasingly using NIL opportunities to compete with MLB signing bonuses, particularly when recruiting elite high school players. That has forced MLB teams to become more creative with how they allocate their draft pools.
One rival evaluator suggested that teams may increasingly look for ways to save substantial amounts of money on lower-priority selections when they are trying to secure a player they strongly covet. Hirschkorn was cited as a prime example of a high school prospect whose NIL options made him more difficult to sign.
The strategy also raises a basic question: Is there really a significant difference between a player receiving $10,000 and one receiving $500?
For players who aren’t highly sought after, the alternative may be going undrafted altogether or attempting to begin their careers later through independent baseball. With the minor leagues having been contracted, there are already fewer opportunities available in affiliated professional baseball.
Agent Alex Hinz, who represents Zeigler-Namoa, said the path to becoming a professional baseball player has become increasingly difficult. For players who finally receive an opportunity, especially those without negotiating leverage, accepting whatever offer is available can be the only realistic choice.
Zeigler-Namoa’s story illustrates that perfectly. The Hawaii native did not receive the same exposure to scouts as many of his peers and spent a year at Yavapai College in Arizona before eventually reaching a mid-major program. He understood that his draft position would likely limit his earning potential.
So when Atlanta offered him an opportunity, he accepted.
Zeigler-Namoa acknowledged that players in his position have virtually no leverage and may ultimately have to accept whatever bonus is offered. He understood that he could be viewed as a “budget-saver” and, despite the modest financial reward, was simply grateful for the chance to begin his professional career.
