The Red Sox may have broken the $10 million barrier for draft bonuses, but they’re not alone.

The Royals spent $10,165,000 on bonuses for draft picks in the first 10 rounds alone, led by No. 3 overall choice Eric Hosmer ($6 million) and fourth-rounder Tim Melville ($1.25 million). Kansas City also made a reported seven-figure offer to seventh-rounder Jason Esposito that he turned down.

Complete bonus amounts for all signees aren’t yet available. Once we track them down, we’ll determine the all-time record holder once and for all.

Thanks to all the Royals fans who brought this to our attention.

The Red Sox spent in excess of $10 million on their draft, which may be a first in draft history.

Records for yearly expenditures by clubs are incomplete. But while an exact total isn’t available yet, it’s certain that Boston’s draft spending exceeded eight figures this year.

The Red Sox spent $8.99 million on their 12 choices in the first 10 rounds, including $3 million on first-rounder Casey Kelly, $2 million on fifth-rounder Ryan Westmoreland and $1 million on fourth-rounder Pete Hissey. They paid out another $1 million on four late-rounders: 13th-rounder Tyler Wilson ($300,000), 27th-rounder Hunter Cervenka ($350,000), 35th-rounder Carson Blair ($200,000) and 50th-rounder Kyle Stroup ($150,000). [Stroup was the 1,504th and final player selected in the 2008 draft.] [...] Continue Reading »

The 27 first-round picks who have signed have received an average bonus of $2,484,963, shattering the previous record of $2,154,280 established in 2001. The average will come down slightly once the Mariners sign No. 20 overall choice Joshua Fields (a college senior to whom the signing deadline doesn’t apply) but still will be well over the old mark.

This year’s average represents an 18.4 percent increase from last year’s figure of $2,098,083. That’s the biggest single-year rise of the slotting era, and the largest since a 23.1 percent jump from 1997-98.

The Royals gave No. 3 overall pick Eric Hosmer a $6 million bonus. Three of the four largest up-front bonuses in draft history were handed out on deadline day this year: The Giants gave Buster Posey a record $6.2 million, and Hosmer and Pedro Alvarez (Pirates) got $6 million each. The Orioles gave Matt Wieters $6 million at the deadline a year ago.

The Pirates have signed No. 2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez for a straight $6 million bonus.

The Royals have signed No. 3 overall pick Eric Hosmer to a straight bonus deal. We’re digging for the number.

We’re still waiting for word on Pedro Alvarez and Eric Hosmer at the top of the draft. Righthander Tanner Scheppers of Fresno State, the Pirates’ second-round pick (one round after Alvarez), is confirmed as not having signed. Scheppers had a shoulder injury in May that dropped him out of the first 10 picks in the draft. So Scheppers and Aaron Crow, who were the top two college righthanders on many draft boards entering May, are both back in the pool for 2009.

Buster Posey got $6.2 million from the Giants, the largest up-front bonus in draft history. Straight bonus, no major league deal.

The Nationals signed 15th round pick J.P. Ramirez, a lefthanded-hitting outfielder with a smooth stroke and a Tulane commitment, for $1 million.

Ramirez is a solid consolation prize, but the Nats missed on their top pick. Washington failed to sign Missouri righthander Aaron Crow, according to industry sources. One source indicated the Crow camp, led by his agents the Hendricks Brothers, dropped their demands to $4 million from the $8-$10 million range, and that the Nationals came up from slot to $3.3 million, but that the two sides ran out of time and wiggle room and couldn’t work out a compromise.

The Giants have signed Florida State catcher Buster Posey, the No. 5 overall selection. We’re tracking down the terms.

The Reds did get Yonder Alonso done, and it’s a major league contract as reported earlier. Terms: $2 million bonus, $4.55 million guarantee on the MLB contract.

The Yankees have failed to sign their first-round pick, California high school righthander Gerrit Cole.

The Rangers have signed South Carolina first baseman Justin Smoak, their first-round pick, for a $3.5 million bonus.

The Padres have signed first-round pick Allan Dykstra for $1.15 million.

And we’re still seeking details on Yonder Alonso’s major league contract and the eight unsigned first-rounders. Stay tuned!

The Reds have signed No. 7 overall pick Yonder Alonso. It’s believed to be a major league deal, but the terms have yet to be announced.

The A’s have signed Pepperdine righthander Brett Hunter for $1.1 million, a draft record for a seventh-rounder. Hunter projected as an early first-round pick before injuring his elbow in his second start of the year. After missing most of the college season, he returned to pitch with Team USA’s college team this summer.

Updating our last post, supplemental first-rounder Jeremy Bleich signed with the Yankees for $700,000, well below the estimated $863,000 slot value.

If Gerrit Cole follows through and goes to UCLA as he has said, then Stanford lefthander Jeremy Bleich will be the Yankees’ top signee from the 2008 draft. The Yankees signed Bleich Friday night, though terms of the deal have not been reported. A supplemental first-rounder, Bleich reportedly did not exceed MLB’s bonus recommendation for his No. 44 slot, believed to be $863,000.

Bleich missed about half the season for the Cardinal with elbow tendinitis, but pitched well in the postseason to help lead Stanford back to the College World Series, including throwing six shutout innings to beat Cal State Fullerton in a super-regional. The Louisiana native, if healthy, would instantly become the best lefthanded pitching prospect in the Yankees system.

Georgia righthander Joshua Fields, the 20th overall pick by the Mariners, isn’t expected to sign tonight. As a college senior with no eligibility remaining, he has until a week before the 2009 draft to agree to terms. He’s on the back burner for agent Scott Boras, who has his hands full with four other first-rounders (Pedro Alvarez, Eric Hosmer, Allan Dykstra, Gerrit Cole) and a sandwich pick (Jeremy Bleich).