Brendan McKay gets record signing bonus from Tampa Bay Rays

Earlier this month, Brendan McKay had the option of fulfilling a lifelong dream and becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft. After being contacted by Minnesota before they made the pick and told what he would be offered, he passed.

Now we know why.

University of Louisville pitcher-first baseman Brendan McKay, the fourth overall pick in the MLB first-year player draft, has signed with the Tampa Bay Rays for a record-setting bonus of $7,007,500.

McKay's bonus is the highest since baseball's current draft signing system went into effect in 2012. It surpasses the recent $7 million bonus received by Vanderbilt pitcher and Atlanta Braves first-round pick Kyle Wright, who broke the previous high of $6,708,400 established by Kris Bryant with the Chicago Cubs in 2013.

McKay, a 21-year-old Darlington, Pennsylvania, native, is considered by many observers to have enjoyed the most illustrious career in college baseball history. He is a three-time winner of the John Olerud Award as the best two-way player in college ball, and he recently received the Dick Howser Trophy as the top player in the nation. Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball magazine both chose him as their 2017 Player of the Year.

"It feels pretty awesome to know that you get to continue playing the game you love,'' McKay told ESPN.com. "Getting paid to do it is pretty fun as well. It's pretty neat to hold the record. But at some point it's going to be broken, so it's not that big a deal to me.''

More like Brendan McPAID!

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