PHILADELPHIA – The Cubs signed No. 7 overall pick Cade Horton to a $4.45 million bonus on Friday, securing their first-round pick three days after the conclusion of the draft.
The right-hander signed for below the slot value of roughly $5.71 million, allowing the Cubs to allocate that money to later draft picks.
“We have to try to figure out how we’re going to optimize our entire draft,” Cubs vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said of bonus pools before the draft. “That plays into the calculus of each pick. Who we’re going to pick, how much we’re going to pay them.