Trouble in Bonus Town?

[Stotle]

If BAL thought Givens was worth a pick at 2:4, then they should be willing to pay him $650K - 675K. The only second rounders that have received less than $500K so far were drafted 2:24 or lower. DJ LeMahieu received $508K, was drafted 2:30 and had less leverage than Givens.

As I've said, I don't have anywhere near all of the info, but if you are drafting a ton of HSers, it's going to cost money to land them. I still think BAL will sign a bunch of these kids, but it will not be because the draftees come to realize they shouldn't be asking for so much.

[Crazysilver03]

Great! First not drafting the best player available in the 1st round, then not signing one player worth mentioning internationally and now not even being able to sign half of the top 20 picks?

You have to be kidding me! I will give them until the deadline but for us the draft is so crucial that if they screw that up as well Jordan and/or MacPhail have to be held accountable.

Last time I checked, the period is still going and Sano hasnt signed anywhere yet.

[bigbird]

Personally I don't care if Givins signs or not. I believe he wants mid 1st round $$$. Take the compensation pick in 2010 and move on with signing some of these other kids.

[allstar1579]

Again, worth mentioning is that any team trying to sign a player over slot needs the MLB office to sign off on it, and they are going to hold back on that until closer to the deadline. First, they are against anyone signing over their recommendation and if they were signing off on higher bonuses now, it would set the bar for some of the close picks to ask for similar amounts.

I have a feeling that the ire of Jordan because of some of the signings isn't so much focused on the players but some behind the scenes rumblings and grumblings that are beyond our control.

This kind of post will be great to get in on about Aug. 15th or so, but I wouldn't worry until right down to the line.

[Lucky Jim]

Again, worth mentioning is that any team trying to sign a player over slot needs the MLB office to sign off on it, and they are going to hold back on that until closer to the deadline. First, they are against anyone signing over their recommendation and if they were signing off on higher bonuses now, it would set the bar for some of the close picks to ask for similar amounts.

I have a feeling that the ire of Jordan because of some of the signings isn't so much focused on the players but some behind the scenes rumblings and grumblings that are beyond our control.

This kind of post will be great to get in on about Aug. 15th or so, but I wouldn't worry until right down to the line.

Yeah - I don't want to imply this is actually a problem yet. Just something developing to keep an eye on.

[allstar1579]

Yeah - I don't want to imply this is actually a problem yet. Just something developing to keep an eye on.

I agree. I've been watching quietly and just pondering so far. Interested to see how it plays out, especially in this economy with a potential rookie cap looming.

[zff4]

Baseball will be the only significant payday for the majority of these athlete kids. That they want to leave the negotiation process open in hopes of a bigger payday is not only understandable, it's probably wise as the majority of them will be lucky to even come up for a cup of coffee.

[hoosiers]

Baseball will be the only significant payday for the majority of these athlete kids. That they want to leave the negotiation process open in hopes of a bigger payday is not only understandable, it's probably wise as the majority of them will be lucky to even come up for a cup of coffee.

No one here begrudges a draft pick's attempt to collect as much $ as he can as a signing bonus. And, at the end of the day, the $ spent on these picks, while much is wasted, usually represents in total a fantastic investment return for these clubs.

Joe Jordan is usually very fair with the signing bonus $. He does his homework regarding bonus demands of prospects, the slotted bonus for the pick and the player's actual value relative to other talents. JJ does not try to sign guys on the cheap. I think it is reasonable to expect Givens has been offered at least slot $.

Most of the time, past performance by clubs has made it clear to prospects that waiting to the final moments can extract more $. We'll see.

Depending on the number of type A and B free agents, it's possible the 2:5 pick could be better (and also worse) than in 2009. I'd prefer to sign him and, in my experience following the draft, propsects drafted with a value of $750k to $1.5M almost always sign.

I want four of the five signed between Givens, Henry, Berry, Tolliver and Ohlman to be really pleased with this draft. There are some other HS talents that would be gravy, but I'd be most pleased with that.

[Skywalker76]

Does anyone know how other teams are doing with their draft picks? Are all or most teams facing these problems or just the Orioles because they picked many players who would demand over the slot money.

[Stotle]

Does anyone know how other teams are doing with their draft picks? Are all or most teams facing these problems or just the Orioles because they picked many players who would demand over the slot money.

Everyone is basically in the same boat, and BAL was not unique in the number of "tough signs" they targeted.

Some teams have done a better jon then others (e.g. ARZ has signed 6 of 9 picks in the first three rounds; MIL has signed 5 of 6 picks in the first three rounds; LAA has signed 5 of 7 picks in the first three rounds -- obviously most of these weren't considered to be tough signs).

I think COL has done the best, inking every single pick in their first 28 rounds, save for Tyler Matzek, who everyone expects to be an incredibly expensive undertaking. They have not really had to go over-slot with any pick outside of Rex Brothers, which leads me to believe they will pay what it takes to get Matzek. Could be a very nice class for them.

TEX has likewise done pretty well, though their two big ticket items (Purke and Scheppers) aren't signed yet.