pcbothwel

Thanks Murph and that is exactly what I have alluded to previously. Its hard to justify doing this with a 1st round pick, but a 2nd is perfect. Take someone in the 2nd who has 4-6th round talent and 10+ round bonus demands. You still get a really strong prospect but also save a lot of money for other picks. The added leverage if getting that pick next year helps in negotiations.

Nope...Not really. We had a great haul this year in regards to our picks and signing them. I dont mind putting this pick in our back pocket for next year now. We are talking: Our 1st 2 Comp picks (2 out of 3 of Wieters, Davis, Chen) Our 2nd round Pick Another 2nd round pick for not signing Hughes Possibly Comp B pick That is 7 and possibly 8 picks in the top 75. At worst it will be 6. As upset as people may be with a step back next year (though not as pronounced as everyone thinks it will be). Having Gausmen, Mike Wright, Givens, Stewart, Alverez, Mancini and Bundy(I have faith) knocking on the door along with Harvey right behind them could ease fears about near term prospects. Then you add 7 top 75 picks to Reyes, Cisco, Mountcastle, Peralta, McKenna, Heinrich, Fenter, and Curran for our long term development could completely re-shape this franchise. Oh yeah, and we have Machado, Jones, and Schoop who are top 3 players at their position (Or in Schoops case, top 10 with a chance to be top 5 in the near future).

Murph, I dont know why that never crossed my mind, but that really is a great strategy. Go for elite talent with your 1st round pick and then go for player with 3rd-4th round talent that you could sign for under slot with the 2nd rounder. That way, you could get a player whose still talented enough to contribute to your big league club one day and save pool money for other top 10 picks. Or, your hardball doesnt work and he doesnt sign and you get a 2nd round pick the next year. Im a fan already. Not signing a 1st round pick can look bad on a club and delays elite talent influx for another year, but the 2nd round pick could be a great gamble.