No. 3 overall pick Kade Anderson officially signs w/@Mariners for $8.8 million (slot = $9,504,400), seventh-largest bonus in @MLBDraft history. @LSUBaseball LHP, College World Series MVP & champion, led NCAA D-I w/180 K in 119 IP, four solid or better pitches, plenty of polish. https://t.co/2cqnMBroXf
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 22, 2025
Former LSU baseball pitcher Kade Anderson put pen to paper with the Seattle Mariners following his No. 3 overall selection in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Anderson and the Mariners agreed to terms for a signing bonus of $8.8 million. It is the seventh-largest bonus in MLB Draft history. The slot value of the No.3 overall pick was set at $9,504,400, roughly $700,000 more than Anderson’s bonus.
Ahead of the draft, several mock drafts had Anderson going first overall to the Washington Nationals. He was ranked the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 class, per MLB.com, after a stellar sophomore season at LSU catapulted his draft stock.
Anderson led the nation with 180 strikeouts and was one of the sport’s most dominant pitchers while leading the Tigers to the 2025 national championship. He threw a complete game against Coastal Carolina in the College World Series final and claimed the series’ MVP award.
After seeing limited action out of the bullpen in 2024, Anderson claimed the ace role as the Friday night starter for the Tigers. He threw 119 innings and posted a 3.18 ERA, ending his career as a first-team All-American and Baseball America’s pitcher of the year.