The Toronto Blue Jays have reached a deal with fifth-round pick Zach Britton, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis.
Britton, an outfielder and catcher out of Louisville, signed for $97,500 which is significantly below the $410,000 slot value for pick No. 136.
The Blue Jays entered the draft with $9,716,500 in bonus pool money and selected shortstop Austin Martin out of Vanderbilt with the fifth pick in the draft. Martin was projected to go in the top two and is represented by agent Scott Boras, so it’s expected that he will ask for more than the $6,180,700 assigned to the fifth-overall pick.
By saving more than $300,000 on a deal with Britton, the Blue Jays appear to have given themselves more bargaining power with Martin.
The 21-year-old Britton slashed .280/.395/.455 in three seasons at Louisville and has “a pretty left-handed swing with good bat speed and some impressive exit velocity numbers,†according to Baseball America.
