The St. Louis Cardinals have wrapped up the bulk of their 2026 amateur draft business, agreeing to terms with 18 of their 20 draft selections and four undrafted free agents.
The only exceptions are 19th-round right-hander Clayton Freshcorn and 20th-round outfielder Kollin Ritchie, both of whom will return to school rather than turn professional.
The class is headlined by first-round outfielder Trevor Condon, selected 13th overall. Condon signed for $5,161,300, coming in $500,000 under his assigned slot value of $5,661,300. The Cardinals also secured Competitive Balance Round A pick Tegan Kuhns, a right-hander taken 32nd overall, at the full slot value of $3,044,600.
St. Louis went over slot on several later selections while staying under on others. Shortstop Rocco Maniscalco, the second-rounder (50th overall), received a $3.2 million bonus against a $1.98 million slot, a $1.22 million overage. Competitive Balance Round B right-hander Dawson Montesa (72nd overall) signed for $850,000, coming in more than $324,000 under slot. Third-rounder Caden Ferraro (OF/1B) also signed under, agreeing to $800,000 against a $943,600 slot.
Additional under-slot deals included seventh-rounder Derek Schaefer ($275,000, under by $27,300), eighth-rounder Luke Harrison ($125,000, under by $116,000), ninth-rounder Jayden Lobliner ($25,000, under by $185,600), 10th-rounder Nick Bonn ($150,000, under by $47,400), and 15th-rounder Brian Garmon ($50,000, under by $100,000).
A handful of later picks signed for exactly slot or slightly over. Eleventh-rounder Jacob Haley received $215,000 against a $150,000 slot. Thirteenth-rounder Matthew Thomas signed for $175,000, $25,000 over.
The Cardinals also added four undrafted free agents: catcher John Lemm, right-hander JR Fordham, outfielder Tristan Bissetta, and right-hander Hunter Baynes. Bonus amounts for the UDFAs were not disclosed.
By signing the majority of the class and realizing savings on several early and mid-round picks, the Cardinals preserved flexibility within their bonus pool while still landing their higher-priority targets.
