The Dodgers kept moving through their 2026 draft class on Sunday, landing agreements with three more picks on over-slot deals, according to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline.
Miles Gosztola, Aemed Nasser and Ethan Sutton all signed with Los Angeles, giving the club another batch of completed deals in a draft class shaped by tight financial limits. The Dodgers were working with reduced picks and a smaller bonus pool after going over the luxury tax threshold again in 2025, then adding Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz in the offseason.
Even with that squeeze, the Dodgers have now signed all but one of their draft selections. Their first pick, Bo Lowrance, already came in above slot as well, with a $3 million bonus against a slot value of $2,504,200 for the No. 40 pick.
Three over-slot @MLBDraft signings for the @Dodgers:
8th-rd LHP Miles Gosztola: $247,500 ($29k over)
15th-rd OF Aemed Nasser: $175k ($25k over)
16th-rd RHP Ethan Sutton: $175k ($25k over)
- Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 26, 2026
The lone unsigned player is shortstop Max Irving Jr., who went 553rd overall out of Montverde Academy in Florida. With the Dodgers’ bonus pool situation, a deal there looks doubtful, though the club still has until Monday, July 27, at 2 p.m. PT to work something out.
In all, Los Angeles has reached agreements with at least 15 of its 16 selections. Five of those signings ended up over slot, while the other 10 came in under.
The Dodgers entered the draft with a bonus pool of $3,951,900, the lowest in the league by a wide margin. Teams can exceed that figure by up to 5%, but any overage is taxed at 75%.
Gosztola was the Dodgers’ eighth-round choice at No. 253, where the slot value was $218,500. He signed for $247,500, which is $29,000 above slot. The Oregon lefty put up a 3.61 ERA and a 26% strikeout rate this past season.
Nasser, one of three high school players Los Angeles selected, was a more notable get. The Central Pointe Christian Academy outfielder was the 189th-ranked prep player in the country and the 33rd-ranked outfielder, per Perfect Game. He was taken 463rd overall, with a slot value of $150,000, and agreed to $175,000 - $25,000 over.
Sutton, the Dodgers’ 16th-round pick, also landed $175,000, another $25,000 above slot. Los Angeles grabbed the University of Central Florida closer with the 493rd pick. Sutton led the Knights with nine saves, went 3-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 48 innings, and averaged 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
In Other News...
Mets Sparked New Outrage During Dodgers Series Involving Emma Stone
A strange bit of off-field theater unfolded during the Mets game against the Dodgers, when the club made room for filming scenes from the upcoming baseball-romance movie The Catch. The production, which stars Emma Stone and Chris Pine, turned a regular night at the ballpark into a set, and Stone was even spotted in the dugout with Juan Soto as cameras rolled.
The wrinkle, though, is how the seating change landed with one longtime season ticket holder who was moved out of his familiar first-row right field spot. The Mets described it as a goodwill gesture, but the fan saw something different, feeling the team had put the production ahead of basic transparency in a situation that was bound to draw scrutiny from anyone paying attention. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Wont Love Where This Ace Chase May Be Headed
Tarik Skubal has become one of the most talked-about names in the run-up to the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and the Dodgers are right in the middle of the speculation. The Tigers left-hander is viewed as a difference-maker, and Los Angeles has been mentioned as a strong candidate to land him if Detroit decides to move its ace.
The challenge is the cost, which figures to be steep enough to test how aggressive the Dodgers want to be. With injuries piling up in their rotation, the front office has to weigh whether a bigger swing is worth it or whether the safer path still makes more sense as the deadline approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Former Dodgers Arm Just Ran Into A Familiar Reality
Elieser Hernandezs latest stop came with the kind of quick turn that has become familiar for veteran pitchers trying to hang on. The right-hander, who signed a minor league deal with the Braves last offseason, finally got into a game for Atlanta recently after spending 2024 split between the Dodgers and Brewers and then pitching in Korea in 2025 before landing in the organization.
Atlanta moved on almost immediately, designating Hernandez for assignment and opening the door for left-hander Connor Thomas to come up from Triple-A Gwinnett. For a pitcher with plenty of big league mileage, it was another reminder of how narrow the margin can be once a club starts cycling through depth arms, especially for someone still looking to carve out a stable role. [Read more 🡒]