Oliver Drake.....

[Florida_Osfan]

THat's what I'd like to see alotted. I'd be shocked if BAL was planning on spending that much. Plus, if that IS the budget then there is no way Jordan passes on some of the names like Stassi/Younginer.

Very true. My projection, in retrospect, does seem a bit high. Though I would love to see us become that kind of a spender... not in FA but in amateur and international drafting.

[Florida_Osfan]

That seems a bit high. Last year, we spent 7.3 million on the draft, so I'd would assume that the budget is somewhere in this ballpark. I'd be happy if we spent 8M this year, and anything else is gravy-and as Stotle said, it means that Jordan is getting exactly what he wants.

My rough estimates (I'm basing this off of last year's slot, but also considering overslot guys) are that Hobgood will cost 2.2-2.5M, Givens will command 700,000-800,000, and Townsend will take his slot value of 500,000-525,000. After that, I could see Henry getting anywhere from 400K to 500K. Tolliver is likely to get around 300K, and Dalles is probably a 200k sign. Wirsch will cost more than the average 7th rounder, probably 300-400K, and Harris will go overslot around 100-150K IMO. Berry is tough, and could command 2nd/3rd round money in the ball park of 600-800K. Once again, Cowan should be an overslot guy, and hopefully he signs for 100K-200K. So, just after the top 10 picks, I think we'll be around 5.5-6.0M. If our budget is around 7.5-8M, I think we'll be in good shape to sign a few other overslot types. Bush, Ohlman, and Martin are probably all looking for at least round 4-6 money, so it'll be interesting to see who fits into our budget.

Personally, I think our budget is flexible, and if Jordan's picks are reasonable, they'll get signed. We should be able to do a lot with 8M this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing how close (or how far away ) my signing bonus projections are.

Yeah, as I said in response to Stotle's post, my estimations are a bit high. Your estimates, though, make pretty solid sense. Though I'd like to see us go over on some of those tough signs, like Martin, Ohlman, Tolliver, and even Berry. Those players, combined with Hobgood, will really strengthen are already strong area of our minor league system.