White Sox first overall pick Roch Cholowsky reportedly agrees to record $10.35 million bonus
Roch Cholowsky has reportedly received the largest bonus ever in the current era of the MLB Draft. It still represents money saved for the Chicago White Sox.
The first overall pick of the 2026 MLB Draft has agreed to a $10.35 million signing bonus with the White Sox, according to ESPN. That breaks a record of $9.25 million previously shared by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns and Colorado Rockies minor leaguer Charlie Condon, the Nos. 2 and 3 picks of the 2024 draft.
However, the slot value of the top pick this year was $11,350,600, meaning Cholowsky agreed to a bonus about $1 million less than what was officially earmarked for him.
It is a common strategy for teams to go under-slot with their top pick, as they can then use the larger remaining bonus pool to draft and sign major talents in the later rounds.
Case in point, last year the Washington Nationals signed No. 1 pick Eli Willits to an $8.2 million signing bonus, despite a slot value of $11,075,900. The Nats then gave significantly over-slot bonuses to their next four draft picks. Coy James, the No. 142 pick of the draft (slot value: $508,900), got a $2.5 million bonus, which was larger than that of No. 34 overall pick Michael Oliveto.
The White Sox will likely try to do something similar with the $1 million they've saved on Cholowsky.
It should also be noted that Cholowsky and the White Sox likely had a handshake agreement for this bonus before the draft, as teams rarely draft players without having an idea of what it will take to get them to sign.
Had Cholowsky refused to sign, he would’ve been able to return to college for his senior year and reenter the draft next year.
The UCLA shortstop was widely considered the favorite, but not a guarantee, to go first overall in this year’s draft. The White Sox drafted him after a college career that saw him slash .329/.448/.624 while posting award-winning defense at a demanding position. Cholowsky headlines the next wave of talent coming to the White Sox, who lead the AL Central at 50-45 at the All-Star break.
While Cholowsky's bonus is a record, it's nowhere close to the most guaranteed money an MLB Draft pick has received. Before the current system that limits draft pick deals, Stephen Strasburg landed a major-league deal with the Nationals that promised him $15,107,104 in 2009. That mark won't be topped, barring major changes in the CBA or a significant passage of time.
