Clock is ticking for Twins to sign first-round pick Walker Jenkins
Walker Jenkins might've been the first overall pick most MLB drafts, but he fell all the way to No. 5 where the Twins selected him this year thanks to one of the most talented draft classes in MLB history.
As of Monday morning, the Twins had yet to agree to terms with Jenkins. They have until 4 p.m. CT Tuesday to strike a deal or Jenkins will go through the draft process again in 2024. And, yes, that would mean the Twins don't get him.
Every other first-round pick has signed with their respective team.
According to MLB.com, Jenkins's slot value as the No. 5 pick calls for a signing bonus of $7,139,700.
The Twins started the draft process with a bonus pool of $14,345,600 to give to draft picks taken in the first ten rounds. So far, per MLB.com, they have spent $7,041,400, which leaves them $7,304,200 to give to Jenkins as he's the only draftee from the first ten rounds yet to sign with Minnesota.
The first overall pick in the draft, LSU right-hander Paul Skenes, agreed to a $9.2 million signing bonus, just over a half-million dollars less than his slot value.
The second pick, LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, received a $9 million signing bonus from the Nationals, which is a sliver more than his slot value of $8,988,500.
Third overall pick Maxx Clark, a high school outfielder who was taken by the Tigers, had a slot value of $8,341,700 and he took $7.7 million.
Fourth overall pick Wyatt Langford, a college outfielder from Florida, got an $8 million signing bonus which was more than his slot value of $7,698,000.
The Twins could exceed the $14,345,600 bonus pool, though doing so would come with a penalty. Per MLB rules:
Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, teams lose future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
The clock is ticking. Will Jenkins sign by Tuesday's deadline?
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.