Detroit Tigers expected to sign Max Clark under-slot

Detroit Tigers expected to sign Max Clark under-slot.

The 2023 MLB Draft has come and gone. All 20 rounds are now in the books, and the Detroit Tigers will try and figure out how to get their draftees signed. Perhaps the priority will get the deal squared away with their first-round pick.

The Detroit Tigers went out and picked outfielder Max Clark with the third overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Clark, the prep outfielder & left-handed bat from Franklin, Ind., is expected to be an easy sign, getting him away from his Vanderbilt commit.

Not that the Tigers were concerned about signing him, but it sounds like the two sides have unofficially agreed on what the terms of his deal will be. It sounds like the Tigers will be able to sign Max Clark to an under-slot contract.

There was a slight notion that Clark would be able to be signed under-slot, and even though it's nothing crazy, it saves money for other players from the later rounds of the draft and gives Scott Harris and his front office more money to work with.

According to a clip from Twitter, showing Clark talking about getting drafted, he hints at the deal with the Tigers being for "Rangers' slot," which would imply the Tigers are going to save a bit. For those who are a bit confused, every pick in the first ten rounds of the draft has a slot value, meaning a value is placed on each pick.

Teams are allotted a certain amount of money to sign their draft picks in their bonus pool. The teams use this bonus pool to sign their draftees, and the money saved on under-slot signees is put toward their selections from the later rounds of the draft.

The Tigers third overall pick was allotted a $8,341,700 slot value. The team is expected to sign Clark for the. value of the Rangers slot value with the fourth overall pick, which is $7,698,000, leaving a slight amount of room to save.

It's not a ton, but the $643,700 tha they are saving on Clark, if the comment from Clark is correct, gives them wiggle-room to sign some of their late draftees with more money to play around with. It's not uncommon for the draft prospects to sign under slot, so it's good to see the Tigers save some, even if it's not a ton.

It may not seem like much, but with players to sign, every penny can count in some situations, so saving money early to be able to offer more in the back end of the draft class is good. But, either way, it sounds like the Tigers and Clark will be able to get his contract hammered out pretty easily.