Josh Hader, Blake Snell Departures Benefit Padres' MLB Draft Haul

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 27, 2024

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres have a couple of former pitchers to thank for their ability to sign multiple draft picks above slot value.

San Diego's bonus pool money was significantly larger this year because they received two compensation picks when Josh Hader and Blake Snell turned down qualifying offers and signed elsewhere.

The Padres signed their first-round pick Kash Mayfield, a left-handed pitcher out of Elk City High School in Oklahoma, for a $3.44 million signing bonus, which is typical for the projected value of his pick.

Second-rounder Boston Bateman signed for $2.5 million, above slot value, and fifth-rounder Kole Fountain set a record in the bonus-pool era when he inked a $1.7 million agreement.

According to MLB.com, Kemp said Fountain has 80-grade power (the highest grade on the 20-to-80 scouting scale).

Last year, the Padres lost picks for signing Xander Bogaerts. This year was a different story.

“It was a 180,” scouting director Chris Kemp said earlier this month, according to MLB.com. “We felt very constrained last year with a pool closer to $5 mil. It was almost double this year — allowing us to get a Bateman and a Fountain, along with Mayfield, guys we had in our top 35.

"We ended up getting three of our top 35, in being able to get Kale and Boston, where last year I don’t think financially that would’ve been possible.”

According to MLB.com, 21 of the Padres' 22 picks have signed, with only 20th-round pick Chase Fralick unsigned. The deadline for MLB teams to sign their draft picks is July 30.