Brewers ink first-round pick to signing bonus that opens door for a deep 2026 draft class

Ahead of their second-half opener against the Miami Marlins, the Milwaukee Brewers announced that they officially signed 2026 first-round pick Trey Ebel, a shortstop out of Corona HS in Corona, California. Ebel, who won't turn 18 years old until September 29, earned a $2.8 million signing bonus and joined the Brewers for their pre-game batting practice on Friday night.

After his BP session, Ebel caught up with the media to discuss his signing and said, "It's a blessing. I'm just so excited. You know, it's a journey that's just starting now and I just can't wait to get to work."

Ebel is the younger brother of Brady Ebel, who the Brewers drafted with the No. 32 pick in last year's draft and now plays shortstop for the team's Low-A affiliate, the Wilson Warbirds, giving Trey a firsthand look at Milwaukee's organization. When asked what has impressed him most about the organization thus far, Trey said, "I mean, everything. From the lifting, the strength part of it, to the hitting part of it, defense, everything's kind of like how we train. So it was kind of nothing new for Brady, and he told me you're just going to be doing the same thing that you've been doing...I'm just excited to get out there."

The Ebel brothers are the sons of Los Angeles Dodgers' third-base coach Dino Ebel, so it makes sense that they grew up working at the game in the same way the relentless Brewers organization does. In that regard, Trey is exactly the right type of person to represent Milwaukee's 2026 draft class, and manager Pat Murphy said as much during his pre-game press conference on Friday afternoon.

However, it's not just Ebel's work ethic and baseball IQ that make him the perfect headliner of Milwaukee's 2026 class; his below-slot signing bonus should allow the Brewers to sign a majority of their 2026 draft picks, despite them having one of the smaller signing bonus pools in all of baseball.

Brewers' 2026 first-round pick Trey Ebel agrees to below-slot signing bonus, freeing up money for the rest of Milwaukee's draft class

In part due to the fact that they traded away their Competitive Balance Round B pick to the Boston Red Sox in the Kyle Harrison deal and in part due to the fact that Milwaukee made the 28th pick in each round, the Brewers had the sixth smallest bonus pool in the 2026 MLB Draft, meaning they had to get creative with their picks and find players willing to sign deals below the value of their pick.

Ebel, who was the 25th overall pick in this year's draft, is kicking things off by agreeing to a signing bonus that is $900k below the value of his draft slot. Ebel agreed to a $2.8 million signing bonus -- $50k more than his brother earned last year -- but Milwaukee was "awarded" $3.70 million for the 25th overall pick.

The figures for the rest of Milwaukee's draft picks that have already signed deals are not yet confirmed, but the Brewers should have plenty of money to sign most, if not all, of their 2026 selections. A year ago, the Brewers signed 17 of their 22 draft picks, and while some of their 2026 draft selections are bound to honor their college commitments, it's entirely possible Milwaukee exceeds that number this year.

To get a player with as much upside as Ebel, who fits the Brewers' mold to a tee, at a signing bonus nearly $1 million below the value of his pick is a huge win for Milwaukee as their 2026 draft class takes shape.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow