Gausman Signing Bonus - Parameters

[The Rick]

Connolly just reported on Twitter that Gausman is in Baltimore and a 6 PM presser is scheduled if he signs. Great sign obviously.

[Can_of_corn]

In other draft news Nats inked Giolito, $2.925 million. Nice job on their part.

Appel didn't sign. Boras sure messed that up from square 1. Enjoy your senior year at school.

[The Rick]

Gausman just tweeted that he's signed, great news.

[xian4]

No idea on the number yet or the word on Poche or Velazquez

[xian4]

He signed for $4.32 million

[clapdiddy]

He signed for $4.32 million

So...I'm guessing this means Poche or Velazquez are not signing?

[MurphDogg]

Nice job by Gausman's agent to clear out the O's entire draft pool.

[Can_of_corn]

Nice job by Gausman's agent to clear out the O's entire draft pool.

Bad job by the O's letting him do it. At least they didn't get into the 5% buffer.

[Chavez Ravine]

Bad job by the O's letting him do it. At least they didn't get into the 5% buffer.

I suspect that when yesterday they didn’t get a firm commitment from Poche that he would sign for a given number they said screw it and shoveled the access toward expediting things with Gausman. Doesn't seem like it cost the O's anything if you assume the total draft budget is an already fixed and allocated cost.

[Trackmaster]

Seems to me that Boras needs to start filling out Unemployment applications. A teenager's parents would have to be crazy to let their star youngster anywhere near that dingbat these days.

[hoosiers]

I have not seen the numbers, but the Os may be the only team among these top picks to go over slot on their first round pick. I hope Gausman is that good and deserves/earns the $. IMO, the Os negotiated poorly - as evidenced by Giolito and Zimmer both getting near $3.0M and Gausman far exceeding that amount. It is difficult for me to read pre-draft reports and believe such a disparity in signing bonuses was warranted.

While I generally am one to accept our FO's decisions as rational ones, it is very difficult to comprehend the ability of other organizations to actually execute a plan to sign top first round picks to less than slot to create substantial slot savings to sign quality, additional talent - and our front office's inability to do the same. I understand the concept that a first round pick is by far the biggest investment in the draft, but adding multiple third round talents at $500k each is not insignificant. Our FO should have been able to add two more third round talents than it did IMO - by holding Gausman to $4.0M or less and signing additional cheap picks in the 7th, 8th and 9th rounds. That would have enabled the Os to take a third round type talent in Poche's fifth round slot and also sign Velasquez - this is exactly what other organizations did.

Frankly, I am mystified by the entire Poche saga. Here our FO drafted a kid outside the BA Top 500 and then couldn't sign him! Why would a kid with a free ride to a good baseball program for four years sign for slot of $262k? I could care less whether Poche changed his number or not - our FO should have been suspicious of any quality HS kid signing in the fifth round for slot.

As things played out, why not sign Velasquez to $500k after the draft and tell Gausman to take $4.0M or go back to school? What's the downside of that scenario and what % chance exists that it plays out? Who turns down $4.0M (to hold out for $4.3M or go back to school when all other picks near that spot are creating slot space for their teams)? The odds have to be in the 5% neighborhood.

It is one thing to be out-scouted, but it is another to have one's FO unprepared/unable to execute a draft plan. I have no doubt that a comfortable majority of other FOs could have taken Gausman, Klein and Marin and then emerged from this draft slot with more talent than ours did based on better negotiating and a better plan.

[86this]

I have not seen the numbers, but the Os may be the only team among these top picks to go over slot on their first round pick. I hope Gausman is that good and deserves/earns the $. IMO, the Os negotiated poorly - as evidenced by Giolito and Zimmer both getting near $3.0M and Gausman far exceeding that amount. It is difficult for me to read pre-draft reports and believe such a disparity in signing bonuses was warranted.

While I generally am one to accept our FO's decisions as rational ones, it is very difficult to comprehend the ability of other organizations to actually execute a plan to sign top first round picks to less than slot to create substantial slot savings to sign quality, additional talent - and our front office's inability to do the same. I understand the concept that a first round pick is by far the biggest investment in the draft, but adding multiple third round talents at $500k each is not insignificant. Our FO should have been able to add two more third round talents than it did IMO - by holding Gausman to $4.0M or less and signing additional cheap picks in the 7th, 8th and 9th rounds. That would have enabled the Os to take a third round type talent in Poche's fifth round slot and also sign Velasquez - this is exactly what other organizations did.

Frankly, I am mystified by the entire Poche saga. Here our FO drafted a kid outside the BA Top 500 and then couldn't sign him! Why would a kid with a free ride to a good baseball program for four years sign for slot of $262k? I could care less whether Poche changed his number or not - our FO should have been suspicious of any quality HS kid signing in the fifth round for slot.

As things played out, why not sign Velasquez to $500k after the draft and tell Gausman to take $4.0M or go back to school? What's the downside of that scenario and what % chance exists that it plays out? Who turns down $4.0M (to hold out for $4.3M or go back to school when all other picks near that spot are creating slot space for their teams)? The odds have to be in the 5% neighborhood.

It is one thing to be out-scouted, but it is another to have one's FO unprepared/unable to execute a draft plan. I have no doubt that a comfortable majority of other FOs could have taken Gausman, Klein and Marin and then emerged from this draft slot with more talent than ours did based on better negotiating and a better plan.

I know this slotting system is new but it's all a game of cat and mouse. One has to wonder that if the Orioles started to eat away at the slotted $4.2m amount for Gausman in order to sign other players like Poche that Gausman should sign while the money is there. I hate to think that Gausman's agent said, we'll just take what you have left over the $4.2m to sign and you can forget about signing anyone else. Am I wrong in that thinking or if the slotted amount is $4.2m has to be assured to him?

[Can_of_corn]

I know this slotting system is new but it's all a game of cat and mouse. One has to wonder that if the Orioles started to eat away at the slotted $4.2m amount for Gausman in order to sign other players like Poche that Gausman should sign while the money is there. I hate to think that Gausman's agent said, we'll just take what you have left over the $4.2m to sign and you can forget about signing anyone else. Am I wrong in that thinking or if the slotted amount is $4.2m has to be assured to him?

Would have been interesting if the O's had spent all but 4 million with a week to go and told him to take it or leave it.