On Monday, July 20, the Texas Rangers signed two of their top picks from the 2026 MLB Draft. One of the draftees signed a big underslot deal. Meanwhile, another one signed to a big overslot deal.
Rangers sign first-round selection Gio Rojas on an underslot deal
The Texas Rangers selected left-handed high school pitcher Gio Rojas in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft. Rojas was the 16th overall pick in the draft.
According to MLB Pipeline, heading into the 2026 MLB Draft, Rojas was the eighth-best overall prospect in the class. In a recent post on X, MLB Pipeline reporter Jim Callis called him “the best southpaw in the draft.”
Rojas played baseball for Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. According to Perfect Game, he is the best left-hander in the 2026 high school class and the number three player nationally behind only Grady Emerson and fellow South Floridian Jacob Lombard.
Therefore, Rojas dropping all the way to Texas at 16th overall may seem like a surprise.
The left-hander from Coral Springs, Fla. ended up signing with the Rangers for $4.6 million. The pick value at 16th overall was $5.05 million, according to Callis. Rojas ended up signing for $450,000 below the slot value.
This cleared bonus pool room for Texas draftees in the late rounds who received big overslot deals.
Third-round selection Brody Bumila signs an overslot deal
Like Rojas, left-handed high school pitcher Brody Bumila also dropped in the 2026 MLB Draft. MLB Pipeline had the Massachusetts prospect as a top 25 prospect in the class. An elbow injury affected where he was selected.
Instead, the Rangers selected Bumila in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft with the 89th overall pick. As a high school prospect who was projected in the first round, Bumila received a major overslot deal.
The pick value for the 89th overall pick was $900,800. Texas ended up paying the Massachusetts southpaw $2.75 million, which is around $1.85 million more than his slot value.
Bumila played for Bishop Feehan High School. According to Perfect Game, he was the 15th-best player nationally in the 2026 high school class and committed to play college baseball for the Texas Longhorns.
Bumila is also a top-five left-hander in the 2026 high school class and the number one player from the state of Massachusetts.
For more MLB News: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb
PHOTO: A set of Texas Rangers hats and gloves sit on the steps of the dugout before a baseball game against the Athletics, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
