2025 MLB Draft: Kade Anderson contract details revealed for Seattle Mariners first-round pick

No. 3 overall pick Kade Anderson has officially signed his rookie contract with the Seattle Mariners. According to Jim Callis of MLB.com, Anderson signed for $8.8 million, which is $700,000 below the slot value of $9.5 million.

The $8.8 million mark is the seventh-largest amount for a signing bonus in MLB Draft history. The Mariners can use the additional $700,000 saved to make other moves on their roster.

Anderson is coming off of a season in which he helped lead LSU to a College World Series championship. He led the country with 180 strikeouts and just 35 walks across 119 innings pitched, posting a 12-1 record. He was also named the Pitcher of the Year accoridng to Baseball America and won MVP of the CWS.

Through all of the good, there is not much debate as to which was Anderson’s best performance of the season. He threw a complete game shutout in the College World Series against Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the championship series. One day later, Anderson was on the field dogpiling with his teammates.

Heading into the draft, MLB.com provided a scouting report on Kade Anderson. They also had him as their No. 2 overall prospect, only sitting behind high school shortstop Ethan Holliday. On an 80 grade scale, Anderson was rated as a 60 overall with two pitches tied as his best — the fastball and changeup.

“Anderson’s fastball plays much better than its velocity (sitting 92-94 mph, touching 97) because it carries past bats up in the strike zone,” the scouting report said. “He used an upper-70s downer curveball as his main breaking pitch as a freshman but now favors a high-spin mid-80s slider that has the makings of a plus offering. He also employs a mid-80s changeup with fade and sink that has become a true weapon as he has used it more often.

“With a quick arm and athletic delivery, Anderson provides plenty of strikes. There’s still projection remaining in his slender 6-foot-2 frame, and his uptick in stuff this spring could make him a frontline starter. He also comes with a high floor as a lefty with four effective offerings and pitchability.”

Now the talented pitcher will get to work looking to carry over his impressive college performance into the pros. He’ll likely start out with the minors, but it might not be long at all before we see him in a Mariners jersey.