2020 MLB Draft: Dodgers finish class by signing 2nd-rounder Clayton Beeter

Never a doubt! The Dodgers signed 2nd-round competitive balance selection Clayton Beeter to close their 2020 draft signing period.

https://twitter.com/C_Beeter/status/1279968486974840832

Beeter was my favorite pick of this draft class and was thrilled when they popped him. I know he’s a high-risk guy, but coming into this developmental system can only be a good thing for him.

Here’s the bonus pool update.

Round	Player	Slot	Bonus	Savings
1	Bobby Miller	$2,424,600	$2,200,000	$224,600
2	Landon Knack	$1,157,400	$715,000	$442,400
2cb	Clayton Beeter	$1,003,300	$1,196,500	($193,200)
3	Jake Vogel	$581,600	$1,622,500	($1,040,900)
4	Carson Taylor	$434,300	$400,000	$34,300
5	Gavin Stone	$327,200	$100,000	$227,200
Total		$5,928,400	$6,234,000	($305,600)

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Dustin, didn’t the Dodgers go over the 5 percent limit? Aren’t they going to lose their 1st-round pick next year?”

No, faithful reader, they will not, thanks to the famed $2,500 accounting trick some teams employ when it comes to draft pick signing bonuses.

$2500 accounting trick doesn't always get reported initially, so it's really:

$2,197,500 (Miller)
$712,500 (Knack)
$1,196,500 (Beeter)
$1,622,500 (Vogel)
$397,500 (Taylor)
$97,500 (Stone)

The @Dodgers could have spent another $820 w/o losing future @MLBDraft picks. #WearAMask https://t.co/kptCY2Fw1h

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 6, 2020

It's a standard $2,500 signing contingency bonus players get when the contract is executed. Some teams count that as part of the signing bonus, allowing them to save $2,500 against the bonus pool. Other clubs pay it on top of the signing bonus. @MLBDraft #WearAMask https://t.co/0whTuHTeSs

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 6, 2020

Clarification: It's not a standard bonus, but it's allowed. Some teams give it, some teams take it out of the signing bonus to save money versus their pools, some teams don't bother with it. @MLBDraft #WearAMask https://t.co/prOr9K7j3a

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 6, 2020

So, four of the six Dodger draftees’ bonuses in the table above don’t account for the $2,500 accounting trick (Beeter and Vogel’s do). If you take that extra $10,000 and add it to the $305,600 they’re over, that gives you $295,600. They could go up to $296,419 (5 percent, less $1) to stay under within the first tax bracket. So, the Dodgers had an extra $819 to spare on their draft bonus pool. Oh those crafty nerds.

Here it is in table form, should you prefer that.

Round	Player	Slot	Bonus	Savings
1	Bobby Miller	$2,424,600	$2,197,500	$227,100
2	Landon Knack	$1,157,400	$712,500	$444,900
2cb	Clayton Beeter	$1,003,300	$1,196,500	($193,200)
3	Jake Vogel	$581,600	$1,622,500	($1,040,900)
4	Carson Taylor	$434,300	$397,500	$36,800
5	Gavin Stone	$327,200	$97,500	$229,700
Total		$5,928,400	$6,224,000	($295,600)

The Dodgers can still sign undrafted free agents, but to date, they’ve signed just one — Robbie Peto.

——

I usually do a midseason prospect update at the All-Star break, which would have been next week. This year I probably won’t do a full reordering of the Top 30, but I might do an updated Top 33-34 with the new draftees included (Taylor and Stone won’t crack that list). We’ll see.