The Cleveland Guardians wound up as one of just two MLB teams that were unable to sign a pick taken in the first 10 rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft. Second-round choice Logan Schmidt, a high school pitcher selected at No. 59 overall, decided to pursue a college career rather than agreeing to a contract to join the Cleveland organization.
Reports suggested that the 18-year-old left-hander was seeking a deal in the $3-4 million range, which was well above the amount assigned to his draft position. For that reason, the Guardians were unable to add him to their prospect pipeline.
Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff spoke out about being unable to sign the draft pick, saying the team knew the risk when it used the valuable selection.
“We took him knowing there was uncertainty on whether or not we’d be able to sign him, and we did everything we could to try to work towards an agreement,” Chernoff said. “And unfortunately, in this case, we weren’t able to. We wish him the best. We feel like he’s got a really bright future, and we were really hopeful he’d sign. But we just couldn’t run it.”
Schmidt reclassified to leave Ganesha High School in California early. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, his fastball has reached as high as 98 mph, which is one of the reasons MLB.com had him ranked as the No. 45 overall prospect entering the draft.
Schmidt previously committed to LSU, but he could wind up at a junior college instead. As compensation, the Guardians will receive the No. 60 overall selection in the 2027 MLB Draft.
According to ESPN, pitcher Aidan Knaak, who was a fifth-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, is the only other player to not sign with his team. The 21-year-old right-hander could return for another season at Clemson.
Fortunately, the Guardians were able to sign all of their other picks from the first 10 rounds in an impressive draft haul. That includes their first-round pick, University of Florida pitcher Liam Peterson, and seventh-round pick Savion Sims, a high school pitcher who received a $1 million deal to forego his commitment to the University of Oklahoma.
Schmidt will be able to re-enter the MLB Draft at some point after playing in college and turning 21, so if there are no hard feelings between him and the Guardians, it’s possible they could try again to work something out in the coming years.
NEXT: Guardians Given Noteworthy Grade For Past Trade With Blue Jays
