Royals send No. 35 pick to Braves for trio of prospects

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals traded their competitive balance pick in the upcoming amateur draft to the Atlanta Braves on Monday for a trio of minor league players, including former second-round pick Drew Waters.

Unlike regular draft picks, competitive balance selections can be traded provided they are not dealt for cash. The one sent to the Braves is No. 35 overall, which means it comes between Sunday’s first round and the second round. It has a slot value of $2,202,100, increasing the Braves’ signing bonus pool to $10,224,300.

The 23-year-old Waters, an outfielder picked 41st overall in the 2017 draft, was hitting .252 while playing primarily with Triple-A Gwinnett this season. He spent last season at the Triple-A level, where he stole 28 bases in 103 games, and has been optioned by Kansas City to its Triple-A club at Omaha.

The other two players acquired by the Royals are right-hander Andrew Hoffman, who is 7-2 with a 2.36 ERA in 15 starts at Class-A Rome this season, and infielder CJ Alexander, who is hitting .258 at Double-A Mississippi.

The Royals assigned both of those players to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

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