New draft piece on unsigned guys from Melewski

[winudi]

http://www.masnsports.com/steve_melewski/2010/07/jordan-says-contract-talks-with-machado-have-begun.html

The title references Machado, but most of it has to do with other guys. Sounds like Jordan is less optimistic than he was earlier.

[QBsILLEST1]

Hmm interesting. He said, we hoped to have some of these guys "out pitching by now" meaning that he was expecting some of the arms to be signed. You can expect Narron and Sawyer to hold out a bit. I think one of the bigger question marks belongs to Bywater. Of the entire top 10, Sawyer and Bywater are the 2 I am least worried about not signing. I guess you could say he is a bit less optimistic, but I really am not worried. The notables to me are: Klein, Anderson, Narron, Schrader, Bridwell, Machado, Urban, Robinson, Wise, and Esquivel.

[eb45]

I think he was imagining Bywater and Schrader to be much easier signs than they have been. I know I was.

[QBsILLEST1]

I think he was imagining Bywater and Schrader to be much easier signs than they have been. I know I was.

Probably, maybe Klein as well.......

[PBR Street Gang]

The O's scouting staff has tracked Klein for YEARS. For him not to be signed by now after picking him in the third round says a lot. Amateur hour.

Very disappointing.

[QBsILLEST1]

The O's scouting staff has tracked Klein for YEARS. For him not to be signed by now after picking him in the third round says a lot. Amateur hour.

Very disappointing.

Nah, Klein saw a fair amount of helium IMO as he pitched very well even after being drafted. He has some leverage, he IS gonna be an overslotter, so regardless, his bonus will have to be approved which is just now beginning to happen with other overslotters....

[mikezpen]

They've signed ONE guy...swell.

[epic]

It's not even August guys, calm down...

[mikezpen]

Open up the d--n checkbook and the problem would vanish in 3 days. Instead, we have Angelos and the Orioles trying to win negotiations instead of ballgames.

[Arthur_Bryant]

Open up the d--n checkbook and the problem would vanish in 3 days. Instead, we have Angelos and the Orioles trying to win negotiations instead of ballgames.

The problem this year would vanish in three days. Next year, the difficulties and delays would be far greater.

Any agent in his right mind, knowing that the team rolled over this year, is going to set the price unrealistically high next year. At that point, the O's have a choice: either pay everybody's inflated demands again, or hold the line and negotiate a realistic bonus. And I guarantee, even if they do manage to avoid losing players, those signings will go right down to the wire.

You know, kind of like the way they are doing now.

I want to see the O's spend more in the draft. But the way I want that to happen is by drafting the best players available round by round. To increase spending just by rolling over in negotiations would be unbelievably dumb.

[DrungoHazewood]

The problem this year would vanish in three days. Next year, the difficulties and delays would be far greater.

Any agent in his right mind, knowing that the team rolled over this year, is going to set the price unrealistically high next year. At that point, the O's have a choice: either pay everybody's inflated demands again, or hold the line and negotiate a realistic bonus. And I guarantee, even if they do manage to avoid losing players, those signings will go right down to the wire.

You know, kind of like the way they are doing now.

I want to see the O's spend more in the draft. But the way I want that to happen is by drafting the best players available round by round. To increase spending just by rolling over in negotiations would be unbelievably dumb.

The open up the damn checkbook crowd is basically asking the Orioles to place a higher priority on the itchy trigger fingers of 11 die hard fans than on the future of the franchise. Without hard slotting there will be negotiations, and with a deadline the agents know most of the pressure is on the teams, especially the teams that have a lot to lose. So they'll take it down to the wire. Just the way it works. No team locks up most of their draftees by the end of July.

[Mackus]

This is one of those things where its frustrating now, but really, it doesn't matter. What will matter is how many of these guys we have signed on August 17th.

I'd be really disappointed if we don't sign some of these guys. Klein and Narron in particular. Although I'm far from a scout, those are the guys I'm most excited about from our top 10 (aside from Machado, who I expect we'll sign).

[eb45]

What I'm disappointed in is not so much that all but one of the top 10 guys haven't signed, it's that there has been literally no news whatsoever on the progress of negotiations with Urban, Esquivel, and Robinson. That leads me to believe there is very little chance they will sign, which would be a pretty major disappointment considering they are the only real exciting guys outside the top 10.

[LookinUp]

The problem this year would vanish in three days. Next year, the difficulties and delays would be far greater.

Any agent in his right mind, knowing that the team rolled over this year, is going to set the price unrealistically high next year. At that point, the O's have a choice: either pay everybody's inflated demands again, or hold the line and negotiate a realistic bonus. And I guarantee, even if they do manage to avoid losing players, those signings will go right down to the wire.

You know, kind of like the way they are doing now.

I want to see the O's spend more in the draft. But the way I want that to happen is by drafting the best players available round by round. To increase spending just by rolling over in negotiations would be unbelievably dumb.

The open up the damn checkbook crowd is basically asking the Orioles to place a higher priority on the itchy trigger fingers of 11 die hard fans than on the future of the franchise. Without hard slotting there will be negotiations, and with a deadline the agents know most of the pressure is on the teams, especially the teams that have a lot to lose. So they'll take it down to the wire. Just the way it works. No team locks up most of their draftees by the end of July.

These posts should be added as sticky at the top of the Amateur draft forum.

Thomas Sowell calls it thinking beyond stage one. It's amazing how many people don't do that.

[mikezpen]

I go back to the fact that in recent years, they have done well signing their top ten and this year they've accomplished next to nothing.I still think that the Machado negotiations have everything backed up.

And if you wait till 8/16 to sign Machado (assuming that happens), you'll lose most of the rest.