Elliott: Halos' Bremner signing shakes up $ix-figure li$t, top 3 Canuck spenders: Orioles, Angels, Padres
RHP Tyler Bremner (middle), given a signing bonus of $7.689,525 by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was at Rogers Centre for Game 2 of the World Series. Left to right: His cousin Jaden Sood and uncle Justin Sood (Burlington, Ont.), Bremner and his father Jason Bremner (Mississauga born and raised) and Jack Bolt, a former teammate at California-Santa Barbara.
November 17, 2025
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
David Calabrese no longer stands alone.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected the former Ontario Blue Jays OF Calabrese (Maple, Ont.) in the third round of the 2020 draft and gave him a signing bonus of $744,200.
For as long as we have been tracking six-figure signing bonuses given to Canadians, Calabrese was the only Canuck the Angels had deemed worthy of a $100,000 or more bonus.
So the Angels sat 27th of 30 teams in giving out cold, hard cash -- or giant-sized checks -- to Canucks. That all changed in July. The Angels drafted RHP Tyler Bremner second overall in North America from the Santa Barbara Gauchos and gave him a $7,689,525 bonus.
The Bremner signing — of $7,689,525 — moved up the Angels 25 spots from 27th to second in our team cash rankings. Bremner finished with a 5-4 record and a 3.49 ERA in 14 starts last spring. He walked only 19 and fanned 111 in 77 1/3 innings. He had 77 strikeouts in his final seven starts in 43 innings. His strikeouts were the most he has had in one season of college ball, the most in the Big West by 27 and eighth among all Division I pitchers, bringing his career total to 295.
Prior to the draft his father Jason Bremner had one of the top pre-draft lines, asking the question: “Wouldn’t it be something to have a Bremner pitching on Bremner Blvd?” where the Rogers Centre is located. If that sounds like Canadian humor, it’s because it is. The Jays had interest, but picking eighth overall they never had the chance.
Father and son gave at the CN Tower this fall.
While Tyler was born in San Diego, Jason was born in Mississauga and his late mother Jennifer, who passed away on June 11, 2025, grew up in Queensville, near Newmarket. The Bremners were at Rogers Centre twice this fall:
_ Sept. 10, a 3-2 loss to the Houston Astros as Yainer Diaz hit his 19th homer off Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman with one out in the ninth.
_ Oct. 25, a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series as Yoshinobu Yamamoto outdueled Kevin Gausman, who allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings. Yamamoto scattered four hits in his 104-pitch outing.
Father Jason Bremner and son Tyler Bremner gaze at the Bremner Blvd. sign outside Rogers Centre.
* * *
Taking over top spot in our rankings are the Baltimore Orioles, who jumped from sixth to top spot.
The Orioles drafted and signed Slater de Brun, a high schooler, whose mom has a Canadian passport. The Summitt high student in Bend, Ore. was given $4 million to sign. In the past, he took private lessons from former Okotoks Dawgs coach Allen Cox.
The Orioles made OF Slater de Brun a first-round selection. He was given $4 million to sign. Photo: Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles made OF Slater de Brun a first-round selection.
Earlier, the Birds of Maryland signed OF Ntema Ndungidi (Montreal, Que.) from the Academie Baseball Canada for $500,000 as well as LHP Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) of the Whalley Chiefs and Junior National Team ($3.2 million), LHP Travis Seabrooke (North Monaghan, Ont.) of the Terriers and Junior National Team ($291,800), C Chris Shaw (Winnipeg, Man.) of Oklahoma and the Okotoks Dawgs and INF Adam Hall (London, Ont.) of the Great Lake Canadians and the Junior National Team ($1.3 million).
ABC grad OF Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, Que.) was given $2 million to leave the Arkansas Razorbacks. He proceeded to bat .500 in his first eight professional games with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ class-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Photo: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
The Dodgers moved up 15 spots from 26th to 11th, drafting and signing OF Charles Davalan (St-Bruno-De-Montarville, Que.), of the Arkansas Razorbacks, for $2 million and RHP Cam Leiter (Maple Ridge, BC), of Florida State, for $1.35 million.
Years ago, away back in 2001, the Dodgers selected RHP Steve Nelson (Cole Harbour, N.S.), of the Dartmouth Mooseheads and the Junior National Team, for $165,000.
Also selected were INF Kyle Orr (Victoria, BC), of the Victoria Mariners and the Junior National Team ($435,000), 3B Jeff Hunt (Cambridge, Ont.) of the Intercounty Terriers and the Junior National Team ($150,000), and RHP Zach Pop (Brampton, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team ($147,500).
* * *
Former Langley Blaze and Abbotsford Angel RHP Micah Bucknam (Abbotsford, BC) was the Blue Jays choice in the fourth round.
Moving up two spots in the bonus ranking were both the Toronto Blue Jays (10th to eighth) and the Kansas City Royals (from 22nd to 20th).
The Blue Jays, who had drafted two Canadians since 2021, drafted and signed RHP Micah Bucknam (Abbotsford, BC) of Dallas Baptist, in the fourth round and gave him $678,000, INF Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, BC), of the Okotoks Dawgs and the Junior National Team, in the fifth for $747,500, plus free agents C-INF Sam White (Aurora, Ont.), of the West Virginia Mountaineers, for $158,000 and RHP Aiden Taggart (Grimsby, Ont.), of the FieldHouse Pirates, for $155,000.
The Blue Jays’ first six-figure signing was in 1995 when they inked 24th rounder LHP Mark Curtis (St. Albert, Alta.), of the St. Albert Cardinals and Penscaola College, for $135,000.
The others: RHP Yan Lachapelle (Gatineau, Que.) Academie du Baseball Canada ($185,000), SS Lee Delfino (Pickering, Ont.) Team Ontario and East Carolina ($122,500), OF Jonathan Baksh (Mississauga, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays and Florida Tech ($122,500) RHP Trystan Magnuson (Vancouver, BC) Louisville ($462,500), OF Mike Crouse (Port Moody, BC) North Shore Twins and the Junior National Team ($150,000), OF Marcus Knecht (North York, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team ($250,000), OF Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) Oakville Royals and Junior National Team ($150,000), RHP Tom Robson (Ladner. BC) Langley Blaze and Junior National Team ($325,000), SS Justin Atkinson (North Surrey, BC) Langley and Junior National Team ($100,000), OF Nathan DeSouza (Milton, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team ($100,000), C Owen Spiwak (Mississauga, Ont.) Odessa and Ontario Blue Jays ($100,000), OF Dasan Brown (Oakville, Ont.) Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team ($800,000), OF Jean-Christophe Masson (Levis, Que.) Academy Baseball Canada and Junior National Team ($297,500), INF Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) Vauxhall Jets and Southern Nevada ($157,500), LHP Connor O’Halloran (Mississauga, Ont.) Michigan and Terriers ($337,500) and INF Sam Shaw (Victoria, BC) Victoria Eagles $285,000.
Former Ontario Blue Jays RHP Ryan McDonagh (Milton, Ont.).
The Royals were fastest on the draw and had extra cash to sign free-agent RHP Ryan McDonagh (Milton, Ont.), of the Ontario Blue Jays, for $455,000 before the draft, INF Tyson Moran (Wyoming, Ont.), of the Great Lake Canadians, for $247,500 and RHP Max Poirier (Nanaimo, BC), of the Okotoks Dawgs and the Junior National Team, for $150,000.
The first Canuck the Royals signed was RHP Mitch Hodge (Vancouver, BC), of the White Rock Titons and the Junior National Team, in the fourth round of 2007 for $225,000. The other KC Canucks: LHP Kevin Chapman (Coral Springs, Fla.) of the University of Florida ($250,000), RHP Eric Cerantola (Oakville, Ont.) of Mississippi State and the Great Lakes Canadians ($500,000), LHP Jordan Woods (Oakville, Ont.) of the Terriers and the Junior National Team ($125,000) and RHP Louis-Philippe Langevin (Quebec, Que.) of Louisiana-Lafayette ($597,500).
* * *
From the Orioles, who have spent $9,391,800 in top spot to the San Francisco Giants in 30th ($205,000) the big-league teams have spent by our count of six-figure bonuses $115,786,812 on 216 different players.
MLB Teams Ranked by Most Signing Bonuses Given to Canadian Players
Total = $115,786,812
All MLB Six-Figure Signing Bonuses Given to Canadian Players
Total = $115,786,812