[tag]James Russell[/tag] signed with the Cubs (Statesman link) for a $350K bonus. And, the Cubs will pay for 5 semesters of college. My guess is that the $350K is at least $250K more than the slot bonus guidelines set forth by Major League Baseball.
I have not heard any definitive news on Kyle Russell or Bradley Suttle. But, Bradley was drafted by the Yankees and it’s very likely they will offer him a bonus close to what he was hoping for before the draft (that is: 1st round money). The situation is not as clear regarding Kyle Russell. The fact that the Cubs went so far over the guidelines makes me rather nervous about Kyle’s chances of sticking around, though. To this point, the highest reported signing bonus for a 4th rounder is $225K. That’s $125 below James Russell’s bonus (and he was drafted in the 14th) so…
Who knows? I guess it all depends on how much the Cardinals really want him, eh?
UPDATE. I just did a little bit more research on slot signing bonus guidelines and found out that the MLB does not want anyone in post 5th-round positions to get more than an estimated $123K. All of the lower rounds (6th through 50th) fall in the same group. I thought it kept going down as you got further along but it doesn’t. So, James Russell’s bonus was about $227K over slot.
reply to #1
casey
August 13th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
i just wanted to say congratulations to james and his family. i know them very well and i grew up with and played baseball with james for many years up until college. he did get paid A LOT for his round selection but his family pedigree im sure had a lot to do with that. for the cubs it is money well spent to have a 6ft 5 in left handed pitcher in your organization who also has a family history of producing great athletes. good luck to james and his family.