Nationals Break Bank to Sign Miguel Sime Jr. to Above-Slot Bonus Deal

The Washington Nationals are expected to sign their first-round pick on Saturday. But the Nats have reportedly signed their fourth-round pick to a huge deal.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Nationals signed pitcher Miguel Sime Jr. to a $2 million bonus.

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That commitment is significant. Sime was selected with the No. 111 pick and that pick’s slot value was $687,800. That meant the Nationals overpaid by more than $1 million to get him to sign with Washington and decline his commitment to LSU for baseball.

Sime was considered New York’s No. 1 prep prospect and played at Poly Prep in Brooklyn.

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The deal could have ramifications for Eli Willits. The No. 1 overall pick is expected to sign and have a press conference before he heads to Florida to begin workouts at the team’s facility. The slot value for his selection is $11.08 million.

By overpaying by more than $1 million for Sime, the Nationals may be looking to sign Willets, a prep shortstop from Fort Cobb-Broxton in Oklahoma, to an under-slot deal.

It’s also possible the Nats are prepared to pay the full slot bonus. Washington has signed five other picks — Boston Smith (sixth round), Julian Tonghini (seventh round), Riley Maddox (eighth round), Texas A&M’s Wyatt Henseler (ninth round) and Hunter Hines (10th round).

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Each was fourth-year collegiate seniors, which meant they had no option but to sign. The Nationals paid each well under slot. The five combined to sign for $85,000, per MLB.com, and their slot values were more than $1 million combined. It’s a tactic teams use to be able to pay certain players over slot.

The Nationals’ previous five first-round selections include Wake Forest infielder Seaver King (2024), LSU outfielder Dylan Crews (2023), IMG Academy (Florida) outfielder Elijah Green (2022), Winder-Barrow High School (Winder, Ga.) infielder Brady House and Oklahoma pitcher Cade Cavalli (2020).

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Crews is on the Major League roster but is on the injured list. House was called up to the Majors and is the starting third baseman. Cavalli made had a cup of coffee with Nationals before suffering an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery in 2023. He is expected to be promoted to the Nationals sometime this season.

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