Ontario Blue Jays RHP Ryan McDonagh (Milton, Ont.) earned a surprise $425,000 US bonus in Surprise, Ariz. He went to Arizona to get ready for the July draft.

March 27, 2025

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Ryan McDonagh’s goal when he boarded a plane from to Phoenix on March 16?

“Improve my stock for this year’s draft,” said McDonagh from Surprise, Ariz. this week.

Well, McDonagh won’t hear his name called on July 13 -- unless it is over a loudspeaker as the P.A. announcer says:

“Now pitching for youuuuur Surprise Royals ... No. 63 ... Ryan McDonagh.”

Such is the fairy tale, dreams-come-true, hectic trip to the desert for the Ontario Blue Jays right-hander with manager Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) and the Canadian Premier League all-stars,

Eligible for the 2024 draft, McDonagh (Milton, Ont.) was not selected and was in his gap year. Except when the rest of the team came home, McDonagh had a contract in his pocket -- given a record $425,000 US signing bons by the Kansas City Royals.

* * *

Sunday, Day I

Popago Park, Phoenix, vs. San Francisco Giants

McDonagh watched as his Ontario Blue Jays rotation mate RHP Will Hynes (Mississauga, Ont.) started the opener.

Hynes worked two hitless innings against San Francisco first and second-year pros, walking one and striking out two, while allowing one run.

Robert Omidi (Mississauga, Ont.) singled in a run in the sixth in a 3-1 loss to the Giants. Jackson Long (Guelph, Ont.) hit 90 MPH.

* * *

Monday, Day II

Salt River Flats, Scottsdale, vs. Arizona Dimaondbacks.

McDonagh started against the Diamondbacks’ first and second-year pros. His father, Jason, was there. His agent Andy Shaw was there. Oh, and a bunch of those people with the special eyes -- scouts who can evaluate and see into the future -- were there.

He pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three allowing one hit and one walk. His fastball was in the 92-96 MPH range.

The talk among scouts during the game was how the Toronto Blue Jays had wisely signed RHP Aiden Taggart (Grimsby, Ont.) of the FieldHouse Pirates on the elite team’s spring trip to the compete in the RussMat event in the Orlando/Winter Haven area for $155,000.

As soon as the game was over scouts wanted to talk to McDonagh. He was invited to pitch in the MLB Draft League this summer. First one team then another made contact with him through his coaches or his agent.

Kenyon Sikkema (Hamilton, Ont.) and Tyson Moran (Wingham, Ont.) each singled in a run in a 10-2 loss to the Diamondbacks. Trent Rudge (Cottam, Ont.) hit 91 MPH.

* * *

Tuesday, Day III

Camelback Ranch, Glendale, Ariz. vs. Los Angeles Dodgers.

McDonagh awoke to find out that his agent Andy Shaw of Equity Baseball, who had been at the game the day before, had plenty of calls from other teams.

Premier coach Adam Stern (London, Ont.), of the Great Lake Canadians, wears more than one hat. He is also a scout for the Royals. Royals scouts Buddy Gouldsmith and Stern were “on” McDonagh. So were Royals scouting director Brian Bridges and former scouting director Lonnie Goldberg, now a Royals vice-president, who spent three years living in Guelph while scouting for the Atlanta Braves and Dayton Moore, who then brought Goldberg to KC.

Firstly, it had to be established whether McDonagh had enrolled in any high school classes for the 2024-25 school year? If he had, he was not a free agent. He had not.

Then, the next question was would any bonus come out of the 2024 or 2025 bonus pool? The Players’ Association advised the bonus would come from last year’s pool.

McDonagh visited the Texas Rangers complex.

The CPBL Stars fell 12-5 to the Los Angeles Dodgers as Ben Goodacre (Ancaster, Ont.) pitched two innings, allowing one unearned run, as he fanned two and walked two. He hit 91 MPH. Benji Kautto (Toronto, Ont.) was 2-for-3 and knocked in a pair of runs.

* * *

Wednesday, Day IV

Goodyear, Az. Cincinnati Reds.

Monaghan visited the Royals.

The Reds young pros beat the Premier League 8-3 despite Tyson Moran (Wingham, Ont.) had a pair of hits. Julian Sabourin (Hamilton, Ont.) allowed six hits and five runs in 1 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out one.

* * *

Thursday, Day V

Goodyear, Az. Cleveland Guardians.

McDonagh went to Goodyear to visit with both the Reds and the Diamondbacks to meet with each club who share the facility.

“I’ve been in this business over 25 years, it was crazy, very unique 72 hours,” said Shaw, from Los Angeles. “Terry Jones owner (of Equity Baseball) and I heard from 12-to-15 teams and we received half a dozen offers.

“This was such a unique situation, a pitcher who was 84-to-88 MPH last year, and was now at 95 MPH. Some teams had zero track record on Ryan.”

Some clubs, who had spent all of their 2024 bonus pool money or were not prepared to go over the non-taxable 5% overage, had maxed out at $150,000.

Great Lake Canadians’ Moran homered twice, his second in the seventh inning tying the game 3-3, but the Cleveland Guardians scored a 5-3 win. Moran knocked in all three runs.

RHP Will Hynes (Mississauga, Ont.) pitched two scoreless in his second outing, striking out a pair as he was in the 93-94 MPH range.

* * *

Friday, Day VI

Maryvale, Az. vs. Langley Blaze

McDonagh comes to terms with the Royals — pending his physical.

Mason Ault (Ancaster, Ont.) doubled and drove in a run, while Moran singled in a run, but the Langley Blaze scored a 3-2 walk-off win.

Jerome Lucas worked three scoreless on the mound.

Langley scored the winner when Kason Siguenza (Abbotsford, BC) hit a lead-off double, Nolan Weinmeyer (Sidney, BC) followed with a single and Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC) singled for the walk off.

* * *

Saturday, Day VII

Surprise, Az. Kansas City Royals

The Tampa Bay Rays wanted McDonagh to make his scheduled second start of the trip against the Langley Blaze.

Royals signing scout Adam Sgtern (London, Ont.) with Ontario Blue Jays RHP Ryan McDonagh.

“I was quite happy with the Royals,” McDonaugh said. “I liked the Royals because of Buddy and obviously Stern.”

To celebrate the day, McDonagh and his father, Jason, Long and his father Andrew played a round of golf.

And the winner?

“We were up by three on the 16th so we quit keeping score,” McDonagh said.

Jason McDonagh is a partner and owner of Promotion Solutions in Oakville which has ran marketing campaigns for Dyson, Old Dutch and Milwaukee Tool.

McDonagh was sent to Royals doctors for physical before his signing became official.

In the game, the KC Royals won 3-1, as Justin Rompre (Ste-Anne De La Perade, Que.) had a pair of hits. RHP Ben Goodacre pitched two scoreless, hitless innings, allowing one hit. Goodacre was clocked at 92 MPH.

Sunday Day VIII

Tempe Diablo Stadium Complex, Tempe, Los Angeles Angels.

McDonagh signs and is soon spotted in a royal blue Royals uniform.

The Royals had spent $13,394,600 of their $13,023,300 bonus pool for a 2.9% overage. They were able to give McDonagh a $425,000 bonus, of which $275,000 counts in KC’s 2024 bonus pool. The Royals’ total signing bonus allotment climbs to $13,669,600, or a 4.96% bonus pool overage. The largest previous bonus given to a non-drafted free agent was $400,000 the Arizona Diamondbacks gave RHP Felipe Perez in 2012, according to the legendary Jim Calls of MLB Pipeline.

“There was a comfort level with Kansas City, we determined that the Royals were a good fit,” said Shaw, who also represented Ontario Blue Jays speedy OF David Calabrese (Maple, Ont.), a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels in 2020 and former Mississauga Tigers RHP Josiah Romero (Caledon, Ont.), a sixth rounder selected by Oakland last year.

Jason McDonagh, with his son RHP Ryan McDonagh on signing day in Surpize, Ariz.

“Ryan’s father Jason, made an excellent point ‘Why not have Ryan start his pro career four months earlier rather than waiting for the draft in July,” said Shaw.

McDonagh agreed to terms with the Royals in large part due to the “family dynamics were impressive. That meant the most to me,”

His locker mate in the clubhouse is former Terriers LHP Jordan Woods (Oakville, Ont.), a free-agent sign given a $125,000 bonus. ABC grad RHP Louis-Philippe Langevin (Quebec, Ont.) was a fourth rounder from Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns last July, signing for $597,500 and former Great Lake Canadian RHP Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.) was given a $497,500 bonus after he was drafted from Mississippi State in 2021.

“We have staff from Canada, like Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont., former minor league manager and current field coordinator) and Yannick Plante, (Hearst, Ont.) as a strength coach.”

Plus Pete Berryman, son of Tim Berryman (Burlington, Ont.) of the undefeated, untied University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, the 1975 Vanier Cup winners.

On signing day, the newest Royal went with his Canadian Premier teammates before they played the KC minor leaguers. The whole team was brought into the Royals major-league clubhouse for a group photo. Talk about giving the 2025-26 draft eligibles something to dream about.

Shaw said he has been doing this “a long time and that was a new one ... having the player’s whole travel team come to a signing.”

What a wonderful moment.

The Canadian Premier League All-Stars — in black and red — pose with McDonagh after he signed with the Royals — inside the big-league clubhouse in Surprise, Az.

Ten, 20 years from now players on that team will be pull out that picture -- doesn’t matter if they were behind the plate, in right field with nary a chance or on the end of the bench ... it was impossible not to be caught up in the buzz and the excitement surrounding their teammates.

McDonagh threw a “touch and feel bullpen,” in front of assistant director, pitching performance/scouting Nate Adcock.

Moran hit a two-run single and was 2-for-4 in a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.

Julian Sabourin (Hamilton, Ont.) pitched two scoreless allowing one hit and one walk, as he fanned two, lighting the gun at 91 MPH.

* * *

All the unnumbered days before …

McDonagh played for the Milton Mets and coach Steve Forsyth, who is coaching the 22U Mets team this summer.

Next, he played for the FieldHouse Pirates from 11U to 16U in Burlington for coaches Tony Busseri (11U-13U). George Halim (14U), Perry Scott (15U) and 16U for Jimmy Richardson (18U). FieldHouse president Bob Hooper remembers his son Ryan traveling with the Pirates as a six-year-old and “McDonagh was always nice,” to his son.

And then he joined the Ontario Blue Jays for 16U to 18U as a two-way player, pitching and playing first base.

“Corey Eckstein and Perry Scott helped me with my development,” he said. “The most influential person in my baseball life? (Ontario Blue Jays) Pitching coach Jared Kennedy, who has a great mind for pitching.”

Kennedy grew up in Calgary, attended Vauxhall Academy and then pitched for the Canisius College Griffins in Buffalo.

McDonagh is rooming with high schoolers LHP David Shields from Pittsburgh and RHP Kyle DeGroat of Wallkill, N.Y.

The Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays showed interest, while McDonagh visited the Diamondbacks facility in Scottsdale, the Texas Rangers in Surprise, the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds in Goodyear, as well as the Royals.

The newest Royal was asked who his favourite Kansas City Royal was a month ago and answered “Bobby Witt,” And today? “It’s still Bobby Witt.” His favourite player? “Vladimir Guerrero.”

We have been on this Twitter machine since the 2009 all-star game in St. Louis (a friend of mine from Houston set it up ... with the time zone of Quito, Ecuador.

We’ve seen some reactions in the past 17 years.

Seldom like this with all the Likes and Re-tweets. This signing ranks with one of the three Naylor brothers (Mississauga, Ont.) as Josh, Bo and Myles went in the first round, their respective draft years.

McDonagh is either the most well-liked player in the province or so many players see a bit of themselves in him. The X machine was very happy for this young man.

Shaw described the opportunity for McDonagh, the new Royal, and his team to have a team picture taken in the Royals clubhouse as “perfect timing.”

One could describe McDonagh’s blossoming and the Royals bouncing the same way.