Nick Kurtz and Tommy White were selected by the Oakland Athletics during the 2024 MLB Draft earlier this month. The two rookie hitters immediately became the organization’s highest-paid hitters as soon as they signed their professional contracts.
Think about that for a second!
Two very recent collegiate players who have never seen a professional pitch are making more than every other hitter on a Major League Baseball roster. All nine hitters in the Athletics’ lineup and their backups will get paid less money this year than a pair of rookies. Pretty crazy.
Kurtz hit .333 with 182 RBIs and 61 home runs in 567 at-bats over three seasons as the starting first baseman at Wake Forest. He was drafted No. 4 overall.
White, best known as Tommy Tanks, began his career at North Carolina State. The 6-foot-1, 228-pound third baseman transferred to LSU in 2022 and won a national championship with the Tigers. He hit .355 with 75 home runs in 787 at-bats over the course of his three-year college career.
Kurtz agreed to terms with the Athletics earlier this week and will receive a $7 million signing bonus split over two years. His contract was actually $1,370,800 below the pick’s slot value, which gave the team more money for its second-rounder. White inked a deal with a $3 million signing bonus, which is well above the $2,332,100 slot value for the No. 40 overall pick.
Kurtz signed for $7 million. White signed for $3 million.
Oakland will not pay any other hitter on its roster for 2024 more than the two rookies. Seth Brown is the next highest-paid bat at $2.6 million.
- Ross Stripling, pitcher — $9.25 million
- Alex Wood, pitcher — $8.5 million
- Aledmys Diaz, hitter — $8 million
- Was cut on July 6
- Nick Kurtz, hitter — $7 million
- Paul Blackburn, pitcher — $3.45 million
- Tommy White, hitter — $3 million
- Seth Brown, hitter — $2.6 million
There are a lot of issues with the A’s both on and off the field. Its front office might be the most glaring and the financial allocation for this year’s roster is a great example of the incompetence, especially considering that the Oakland Athletics are 13 games back in the AL West.