As part of the All Star Weekend in Atlanta, the MLB held its annual draft over Sunday Night and Monday. Several UNC players heard their name called, and overall there was very little drama about whether or not they would sign with their clubs.

A lot of this is because of how MLB has changed their signing structures for draftees, using a slotting system based on where they are drafted and making it pretty clear about what they would earn on the first deal for signing. Like any other sport, the earlier you are drafted, the higher the value. With the reduction in rounds of the MLB draft, there are also significantly fewer players who decide to forgo their draft and head into college.

This year, Carolina had five players who either played this past season or were set to play in 2026 drafted by an MLB club. The biggest name was Luke Stevenson, taken in the first round with a compensation pick by the Seattle Mariners at 35. You’d think that Seattle is set at catcher for a while, considering their current guy is the reigning home run derby champion, but unlike in other sports you typically are looking at value first, fit second.

Now, over the past week contract signings have started to come out and it looks like all of the players that were drafted have opted to head to the Majors.

First off, Luke Stevenson is getting paid like someone drafted in the first round.

As noted, Stevenson technically could have come back to UNC but there was no way he was going to earn that much in NIL anywhere, and the opportunity to get started in a professional organization is just too good to pass up.

Kane Kepley was the next Tar Heel selected, and he has also signed. The second round pick will join the Chicago Cubs organization, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be using the opening to “The Circle of Life” as his walk-up song in the minors. It has a chance to make him well known before he steps foot in a major league stadium.

The Cubs signed 2nd rounder Kane Kepley to a $1,400,000 deal. Slot value for the 56th pick is $1,680,000.

A $280,000 under slot deal.

— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) July 19, 2025

Aidan Haugh didn’t have a choice as his eligibility was up, but he managed to use the past year to bump his draft stock up from the 16th round to the 6th, and thanks to our sister site DRaysBay, we know that Haugh signed for $157,500 in Tampa. There are few better organizations to end up in as a pitcher than Tampa, and here’s hoping that it’s not too long before Haugh can progress up the ladder and end up playing for their AAA team—the Durham Bulls.

Jake Knapp joined Kepley in signing with the Cubs. It seems odd that a pitcher so dominant in the ACC wasn’t drafted until the eighth round, but his age and the fact he only has one year at this high level probably scared a lot of teams off until you got to this spot in the draft. Still, he’ll have a shot at the majors, and will do so with a nice little bonus to get started.

Finally, Trace Baker was drafted in the 13th round by Toronto. Being picked that late put him at a decision point. He played at UNC-Wilmington last season and had committed to transfer to the Tar Heels for 2026. Instead, he was now faced with the opportunity to skip the rest of college altogether and head straight to the pros. That said, he obviously had some eligibility left, so he could try to improve his stock on a team that many will likely think can be a College World Series contender next year.

Baker decided to go on and move to the professional ranks—a great achievement for someone who started pitching at a community college and showed enough to be drafted from UNCW.

A few more Blue Jays signings:

13th Trace Baker, $150,000
14th Noah Palmese, $150,000
15th Jake Casey, $150,000
16th Jaxson West, $150,000
17th Jordan Rich, $150,000
18th Willis Cresswell, $100,000
19th Luke Kovach, $150,000

— Carlos Collazo (@CarlosACollazo) July 20, 2025

Now UNC Coach Scott Forbes knows who he’ll have next season, and can plan accordingly as the start of the fall semester is right around the corner. The first day of class is less than a month away, and before we know it fall practice will be here with UNC having the Fall World Series and exhibition games as the Diamond Heels look to get back to the College World Series in 2026.