Rays’ Record Top-Round Baseball Picks Might Cost $10 Million
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The Tampa Bay Rays’ record 12 picks in the first two rounds of the Major League Baseball draft may cost around $10 million in signing bonuses, almost a quarter of the payroll of the franchise’s big-league team.
The Rays, whose opening-day salary total was $41 million, hold 12 of the first 89 picks this year, the first team to have a dozen selections in the first two rounds of the draft. Jim Callis, executive editor of Baseball America, said that probably will cost the team around $10 million, based on the contracts comparable picks last season signed. The glut of picks may also be a negative surprise to Rays fans with big expectations.