Jonathan India and the Florida Gators were eliminated from the College World Series on Friday night. That means that he is now eligible to sign with the Cincinnati Reds. India was selected 5th overall in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. The new-ish draft rules have been set up to limit how much money each team is allowed to spend before facing penalties for signing draft picks. The slot value for the #5 overall pick is $5,946,600.
The Reds, however, may not have nearly that much to spend on Jonathan India without facing harsh penalties. Cincinnati has spent a reported $4,155,000 of their allotted pool money so far. That does not include a reported agreement with 4th round pick Mike Siani. That agreement is reported to be for $2,000,000. If we assume that is an exact amount, and not just a “close” amount, that leaves the Cincinnati Reds with just $4,870,400 for Jonathan India to sign before the team would face penalties.
The first stage of penalties isn’t much. Teams can spend up to 5% over their draft allottment and only have to pay a 75% cash penalty on that overage. But, if a team goes beyond that then they pay a 75-100% penalty on the overage (depending on how far they go) AND forfeit their 1st round selection the following season. No team has ever gone that route. And I can’t foresee any team doing so, either. Those draft picks are simply too valuable.
That means that the Reds will be able to spend somewhere between that $4,870,400 and $5,290,420 to bring Jonathan India into the fold. That would be a pretty big discount as it is. But, it’s tough to believe that the two sides haven’t had an agreement in place for a while. There could be a little wiggle room on those numbers with India if the agreement with Mike Siani isn’t for an exact $2,000,000.
Don’t expect Mike Siani to sign before Jonathan India does. The risk involved there is that you sign Siani, then can’t get India signed. And if you do that, you would bust your draft pool and lose your 1st round selection in 2019. Your pool amount changes, and only counts players that are signed. Without India signing, their pool would drop off significantly, and having Siani at $2M but not India would push them well beyond the 5% overage. Expect the two of them to sign nearly at the same time. The draft signing deadline is July 6th. That’s in two weeks.
Homer Bailey to continue his rehab in the minors
Homer Bailey pitched in Louisville last night. Things did not go well for the rehabbing right hander. He allowed 7 runs in 6.0 innings with a walk, 10 hits allowed, he hit a batter, and he struck out two. Jeff Wallner had an update on Reds.com earlier this afternoon. Reds manager Jim Riggleman said this:
“It’s going to be a lengthy rehab,” Riggleman said. “He’ll have another start in five days.
For Homer Bailey, he can be on rehab assignment for up to 30 days. That, if used entirely, would mean multiple starts moving forward in the minors.
Fidel Castro out to a big start in the Dominican Republic
When the Cincinnati Reds signed outfielder Fidel Castro there were some jokes made. The fit was about as good as it gets for a player named Fidel Castro to sign with the Reds. In his professional debut, things didn’t go well for the then 18-year-old. Between the DSL Reds and Rojos, Castro hit just .216/.308/.309 last season. That came along with eight doubles, a triple, and a home run in 48 total games.
This season, however, things are going very, very well. His power is up significantly. In 14 games this season he’s already hit five doubles, three triples, and two home runs. He’s hitting .340/.431/.680 thus far. His strikeout rate is quite a bit higher than it was last season, and that will be something to keep an eye on. The big uptick in power, though, is also worth keeping an eye on.