Fans were shocked to learn how little the Blue Jays signed Cunningham for but it seems there is a valid reason for it.
160 thousand under slot? Am I reading that right?
The young outfielder was signed for so little because it will now allow the team to use an additional $27,500 on overage bonuses somewhere else.
Basically, the Jays likely awarded/promised Cunningham $25,000 to sign, but only $22,500 counts against the Jays draft pool. Doing this for all top 10 round picks would allow the Jays to spend an additional $27,500 on overage bonuses elsewhere.