Tampa Bay Rays Opening the Vault for Brendan McKay

It is not every day that the Tampa Bay Rays will outspend a team for a player. That willingness to open the vault appears to be the reason they landed Brendan McKay with the fourth overall pick.

One of the top players in the 2017 MLB Draft, Brendan McKay was considered to be a potential first overall pick by the Minnesota Twins. The problem was, the Twins were looking to save a few bucks with the pick, attempting to sign McKay for an underslot contract. He put an end to those thoughts, saying that he would refuse to sign for less than his slot.

Enter the Tampa Bay Rays. Benefiting from McKay’s refusal to sign for less than his slot, the Rays were able to snag the pitcher/first baseman with the fourth pick. As it turns out, McKay is going to do quite well with this selection, as Mike Berardino reported that he will get a signing bonus of between $7 and $7.2 Million from Tampa Bay.

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That signing bonus would be the largest under the current structure of the draft. Not only would he surpass the bonus given to Kris Bryant in 2013, but it would also surpass the bonus given to Kyle Wright. McKay, even without being taken with that first pick, will still end up with close to the amount he would have received.

This, likewise, shows the faith that the Rays have in McKay. Not only will the Rays allow him to attempt to be a two way player, heading both to the mound and first, but they are obviously expecting him to be a key part of their future. With that type of financial commitment, where they are spending close to $1 Million more than the allotment, McKay is being projected to be a star.

Next: Rays draft synopsis

The Tampa Bay Rays appear to have a lot of faith in Brendan McKay. With that price tag, he will certainly be under heavy scrutiny as he tries to reward that faith.