The Reds don't usually make headlines for how they spend their 3rd-round pool money, but Ty Horn's signing bonus is worth a second look. Cincinnati inked the Nebraska right-hander for $647,500, a chunk below the $833,800 slot value attached to pick No. 94, according to Jim Callis.
3rd-rder Ty Horn signs w/@Reds for $647,500 (slot 94 value = $833,800). @HuskerBaseball RHP whose fastball, slider & changeup all can grade as at least solid when they're on, up to 98 mph. @MLBDraft
Horn spent his junior year at Nebraska bouncing between the rotation and the bullpen, and it was the bullpen role where things clicked. His fastball sits around 93 mph as a starter but has touched 98 out of relief, and evaluators like his slider and changeup enough to call both potential above-average pitches down the line. That's the profile teams love to buy low on in the 3rd round: a power arm without a settled role yet.
Signing below slot isn't a red flag here, it's just math. Bonus pools force teams to shave dollars off some picks to go over slot on others, and $647,500 against a $833,800 number leaves the Reds real flexibility to spend elsewhere in the class. Cincinnati has already signed 13 of its picks this cycle, folding Horn into a system that's been leaning hard into college arms with late-inning traits.
There's also a Cornhusker footnote worth mentioning: Horn wasn't the only Nebraska arm to hear his name called this July. Fellow Husker pitcher Carson Jasa went to the Cubs, giving Nebraska two 3rd-round arms split between division rivals in the NL Central.
For now Horn heads to Cincinnati's player development pipeline as a reliever-track arm with a track record of missing bats, he racked up 87 strikeouts in 82.2 innings this spring. Whether the Reds try to stretch him back out or fast-track him as a bullpen piece will be the thing to watch as he starts his pro debut.