Scott Boras gets top dollar for Carlos Rodon

For those who listen to the podcast each week (THANK YOU!), you may remember what MLB.com senior writer and MLB draft guru Jim Callis said about the bonus amounts could be for Carlos Rodon.

If you didn't listen or don't recall, this is what he had to say on Podcast 22:

The final bonus amount for Carlos Rodon is $6.582,000.00, which is just $585 shy of the highest amount the White Sox could pay without losing a first round pick. He also receives the highest bonus amount in the 2014 MLB draft.

Here are some fun facts that Callis mentioned today on Twitter about the signing:

Rodon's $6,582,000 bonus is 2nd-highest under new @MLBDraft rules (Bryant), 3rd-highest for P in Draft history (Cole, Strasburg). @WhiteSox

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 10, 2014

Rodon's $6,582,000 bonus is the 5th-highest in @MLBDraft history, behind Cole ($8 mil), Strasburg ($7.5 mil), Starling ($7.5 mil) ...

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 10, 2014

... and Bryant ($6,708,400). All five of those top @MLBDraft bonuses ever were signed by Boras Corp. clients.

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 10, 2014

Just like how Kenny Williams always gets his man (eventually), it seems that Scott Boras always gets top dollar for his clients.

With it being a couple of weeks since I last spoke with Callis, I sent him a question via email about his reaction to the bonus amount:

Josh Nelson: Are you surprised that Scott Boras was able to get the max without costing the White Sox a draft pick?

Jim Callis: Yes and no.

Yes, in that the White Sox had never paid a penny of draft tax and I didn't think they'd necessarily do that after not having signed a Boras Corp guy since Alex Fernandez in 1990. No, in that I've learned to always bet the over with Boras Corp bonuses.

Finally, the next question after the signing is how much it will cost the Sox in draft tax?

My math say $356,175. @joshnelson3: Is the @MLBdraft tax for signing Rodon going to be $375,000? @WhiteSox

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 10, 2014

Congratulations are in order to Scott Boras for getting top dollar for his client. I'm sure Rick Hahn did his very best to stick close to the $6.1 million figure to avoid paying a draft tax. With the dire need for quality pitching in the system, it was probably the smart choice of getting Rodon signed a week before the deadline before making it a nervous distraction.

Now that Rodon is signed and getting paid, the clock begins to tick. How quickly can he rise through the ranks and join the staff?