The Wolf Pack baseball team lost its top returning player as TJ Friedl, an outfielder who came out of relative anonymity in 2015 to make Team USA, signed a record-breaking deal with the Cincinnati Reds.
Friedl, a redshirt sophomore, signed Thursday for a $735,000 bonus, the largest ever for a domestic non-drafted free agent, according to Baseball America. The bonus is believed to be the third largest in Wolf Pack history behind pitchers Braden Shipley ($2.25 million in 2013 with Arizona) and Darrell Rasner ($800,000 in 2002 with Montreal). Friedl wasn't selected in June’s draft but his signing bonus was the equivalent of the 85th pick in the draft.