Pitchers Logan Schmidt and Aidan Knaak only players in top-10 rounds of MLB draft not to sign

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NEW YORK (AP) — Pitchers Logan Schmidt and Aidan Knaak were the only two players among those picked in the first 10 rounds of baseball’s amateur draft who didn't sign by Monday's deadline to agree to deals.

Schmidt, an 18-year-old left-hander from Ganesha High School in California, was selected 59th overall by Cleveland on the second round, and is likely to attend LSU or a junior college. Because he didn't sign, the Guardians get an extra selection next year at No. 60.

Knaak, a 21-year-old right-hander selected 163rd by Milwaukee on the fifth round, appears to be staying for a fourth season at Clemson.

Right-hander Gavin Giese, taken 85th by Tampa Bay on the third round, signed on the final day for a $997,500 bonus. His father Dan pitched in the major leagues from 2007-09 with San Francisco, the New York Yankees and Oakland.

Signing bonuses have totaled $409.3 million up from $401.8 million last year. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, selected first by the Chicago White Sox, agreed to an amateur draft record signing bonus of $10,347,500.

Major League Baseball last month proposed shortening the draft from 20 rounds to 12 in 2027, eliminating eligibility players from high school and junior college, and establishing hard slots totaling $200 million.

Just two picks from the top-10 rounds didn't sign in 2025: right-hander Angel Cervantes, selected 50th overall by Pittsburgh on the second round, and outfielder Mason Ligenza, taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers 195th on the sixth round.

Pittsburgh got an extra pick at 51 this year.

The signing deadline does not apply to players who have exhausted college eligibility, a group that can sign until until a week before next year’s draft.

Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado, Detroit, Houston, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee, the New York Yankees, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and the Athletics all spent exactly 5% over their signing bonus pool, the maximum allowed before incurring the loss of a first-round pick in next year’s draft. No team has ever exceeded its signing bonus pool by more than 5%.

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