The Cubs have signed third baseman Cam Smith to a $5,070,700 bonus, per Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo. That bonus matches the slot value of the fourteenth overall pick Chicago used to select the infielder. Smith’s bonus will take up the majority of Chicago’s $9,802,300 total bonus pool for this year’s draft.
Smith, 21, was generally expected to go in the middle of the first round, although prospect services held some differences of opinion regarding his exact placement in the class. MLB Pipeline had Smith ranked exactly 14th, while Fangraphs was highest on him at 7th in the class. Baseball America (16th), ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (17th), and The Athletic’s Keith Law (19th) all ranked Smith just below Pipeline but still within the draft’s top 20.
The Florida State product boasts a strong .331/.420/.594 slash line across his time in collegiate ball, although it’s worth noting that he adjusted his swing prior to his second year in the ACC and took a major step forward with an eye-popping .387/.488/.654 slash line in 322 trips to the plate. Listed at 6’3”, 224 lbs, there’s some debate among various prospect services about whether or not Smith will be able to stick at third base long-term, but scouts generally seem to agree that even if he needs to move to an outfield corner or first base his impressive power potential should allow him to stay relevant at positions where more pressure will be put on his bat.
It’s the second season in a row where the Cubs used their first-round pick to select a college infielder, and Smith figures to join 2023 draftee Matt Shaw in the club’s near-term infield plans. Dansby Swanson is locked in at shortstop long-term, and Michael Busch is surely part of the club’s long-term plans amid a fantastic rookie campaign where he’s slashed a 132 wRC+ as the club’s primary first baseman.
Even so, there’s still room in the club’s big league infield mix for an addition or two when Shaw and/or Smith are ready to contribute. Christopher Morel has had an up-and-down season at the plate while struggling badly with the glove at the hot corner, and while Nico Hoerner is currently locked in as the club’s everyday second baseman his contract runs only through the end of the 2026 season. With some scouts suggesting that Smith’s development may take a bit longer than is typically associated with college position players, it’s certainly feasible to imagine playing time opening up for Smith by the time he reaches the majors, even in the event that Shaw is able to position himself as an everyday infielder in his own right.
