The Diamondbacks have signed two more players from their 2024 draft class, bringing their total up to 17 of the 22 players they drafted on All-Star week.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Jim Callis, Senior Writer for MLB Pipeline, reports that Dix signed for an under-slot deal of $2.15 million. The slot value for the No. 35 pick was $2.632 million, saving Arizona just under $500K. That covers all the additional over-slot signings such as Tytus Cissell, Connor Foley, and Bo Walker. Dix is a shortstop with solid across-the-board tools, but fell in the draft due to a shoulder injury suffered a couple of seasons ago.
Diamondbacks scouting director Ian Rebhan told reporters, including Alex D’Agostino from Inside the Diamondbacks, that the shoulder is good to go and they’re comfortable with where he is recovering from surgery.
Supplemental 1st-rder J.D. Dix signs w/@Dbacks for $2,150,000 (slot 35 = $2,632,500). Wisconsin prep SS, switch-hitter combines gamer mentality w/hitting ability & solid speed. @WakeBaseball recruit. @MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/g1upKTYlfH
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 24, 2024
Joining Dix is eighth rounder Travis Garnett. A left-handed reliever out of the College of William & Mary, Garnett was 5-0 with a 4.61 ERA. He throws in the mid-90s out of arm slot that’s very tough on left-handed hitters. One stat that stood out was he picked up 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings pitched, and an overall strikeout rate of 33.8%. Carlos Collazo of Baseball America reports that Garnett signed for $175K, roughly $27K under the recommended slot value of $202.8K for the No. 254 selection.
The #Dbacks signed 8th rounder Travis Garnett for $175,000. Slot value for the 254th pick is $202,800.
— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) July 24, 2024
With Dix and Garnett signed, that leaves just first rounder Slade Caldwell yet to be signed out of the team’s first 10 rounds. 17th rounder Drake Frize has also yet to sign, but as a college senior doesn’t hold much leverage. Adding together all of the reported signing bonuses, the Diamondbacks have $3.087 million left in their bonus pool to spend.
Arizona has until August 1st to sign the remainder of their draft class. It’s unlikely they’ll sign their 18th, 19th, and 20th round selections, as Caldwell will likely eat up most, if not all of the remainder of the pool. They could spend up to $633K beyond that without crossing over the 5% threshold that would result in draft pick penalties, but any overages would be taxed at a 75% rate. Under Hazen, the Diamondbacks typically spend right up to the bonus pool number and never go over.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
