Baseball America has confirmed that UCLA righthander Erik Goeddel has agreed to terms with the Mets, who drafted him as a 24th-round pick. A source with knowledge of the deal said that Goeddel's bonus was significantly more than the $150,000 maximum MLB recommends for picks after the fifth round. BA has been unable to confirm the exact amount of the bonus because MLB has asked the Mets to hold off until mid-month before officially submitting the approved contract.

Goeddel, whom the source said received close to $500,000 (roughly equivalent to the commissioner's office's guidelines for the No. 73 pick a year ago), is the first player from this year's draft known to have signed for significantly more than MLB's slot recommendation. The Mets have been one of the most fiscally conservative teams in recent drafts–they ranked last in MLB in 2009 draft spending at $3.1 million–so it's a surprise that they're the first team to buck the commissioner's office in 2010. Goeddel, who's advised by Sosnick Cobbe Sports, is expected to join the Mets system in the next two weeks after New York submits his contract. 

July 29 update: Goeddel's contract was officially finalized today. His bonus was $350,000, and the $200,000 difference between his bonus and MLB's slot recommendation is the largest to date in the 2010 draft.

A blue-chip prospect in high school, Goeddel needed about 24 months to recover from Tommy John surgery during his senior year of high school. He threw eight innings as a redshirt freshman in 2009, then went 2-0, 3.12 with 58 strikeouts and 23 walks in 49 innings of relief this spring, emerging as a key piece of UCLA's stellar bullpen. He came on especially strong down the stretch, catching scouts' attention in regionals and sitting in the mid-90s with a wicked 86-mph slider in the College World Series.

Contributing: Jim Callis.