Draft Update: Crow, Alvarez, Matusz

Aside from possibly Matusz, all of those guys have wanted huge paydays from minute one, and like last year, MLB prefers the huge signings not be announced until the last minute. I would be very surprised if any of those guys mentioned doesn't sign.

Maybe I'm a little naive in saying this, but how can any of these guys legitimately ask for and receive an enormous payday when the #1 pick signed for $6MM and some change?

Anyway, if my Bucs can get Alvarez, Scheppers, and Wilson all signed...things might not look so bad going forward.

Cant wait for the crew to sign brett lawrie. Should be a very good player.

Maybe I just forgot or I never have known, but, what happens if a draft pick doesnt sign? Can somebody tell me. I would assume a high school player would just go to one of the colleges that was high on his list if he didnt go to the majors. And maybe a college player would go to the independent leagues??

^ same here... really want to know...

JD Drew played a year with the St Paul Saints when he didn't sign with the Phillies when he was drafted. So I guess a college player would play in an indy league.

if a draft pick doesnt sign, he can be entered into the pool again the next year, unless he is a high school senior, i think he goes to his college and then can come out his junior year. The team that had that pick the year before, gets the pick after that the next year. So say the pirates dont sign alvarez, he will be in the pool again next year, and the pirates get the 3rd overall pick next year.

It boggles the mind how a team like Pittsburgh can give Matt Morris 10m a year and be pinching pennies when it comes to owning Alvarez for the next decade. The Jays took David Cooper and he's already been promoted once and hitting .366/.422/.538, primed to start next year in AA. Now obviously his track is much faster as a college player, but it's still ridiculous that these teams waste time on these kids they will eventually sign when it comes down to at the most a couple million dollars.

It's bad enough there's no salary cap - Selig seriously needs to enforce a system where there's zero negotiation between a team and the drafted player, you get whatever you are entitled to at that spot. "Recommendations" do absolutely nothing, and seriously ruin the competitive balance of baseball.

i'm totally with you, 92-93. i've hated the slot thing as long as i've known about it. it's the dumbest idea possible for the draft and leaves it up to the teams to treat each other fairly, which doesn't happen when everyone wants to win.

92-93:

I think the Alvarez signing has less to do with the Pirates pinching pennies than it does with Scott Boras playing hardball. Boras knows that he has an option (Alvarez returning to Vanderbilt), so he is under no obligation to consummate this deal quickly. As for the Pirates, they would set a dangerous precedent if they caved to his demands immediately, because agents for future Pirates' first-rounders would do the same with their clients, expecting the team to give whatever is asked for. It's a game of chicken, as both sides are waiting for the other to blink; unfortunately, Boras has the leverage here and will ultimately get what he wants, probably 5 minutes before the deadline.

As for the salary cap and/or a draftee pay scale, neither will ever happen. MLB is committed to having its marquee franchises in its biggest cities be successful regardless of the health of the other teams. Unlike the NFL, where they are intent on making the most money possible for all parties involved, MLB actually likes having pennant races only between teams from NY, CHI, LA and BOS; they are going to pass a brick if the World Series winds up being Tampa or Minnesota against Milwaukee. MLB doesn't do enough to promote the star players in all of its markets, only concerning itself with selling the big names in the big markets and hoping that the stars in the small markets either sign as free agents or get traded to the big market teams; hence the discovery of the man named Jason Bay as soon as he put on a Red Sox uniform, although Pittsburgh has known he's a great player for a few years now.

RBishop73

awesome point, i hate it how everything baseball is based on how big the market is. ESPN broadcasters are the most biased people ive ever seen. They do a terrible job bringing us game highlights and "expert analysis". I sure hope the brewers make the WS (obviously since im a huge fan), but like white RBishop73 said, Imagine how angry ESPN will be if the WS is between the Rays and the Brewers. I bet ESPN wouldnt even cover it. ESPN wants red sox or angels, or yankees vs cubs.

Glover28 you are incorrect about how the failure to sign you're pick works. Because if the Pirates fail to sign Alvarez, and lets say the giants have the 3rd worst record in baseball this season they have the #3 pick not the Pirates. The Pirates are given a Supplemental 1st round pick not the pick after they had this year. Thats incredulos that anyone could believe that.

So to clairify to the two people wondering what happens: If a team fails to sign a 1st round pick this season they are given a supplemental 1st round pick in next years draft.

Oh and man it would suck massive Donkey Balls if the Giants cant sign Posey hes gonna be great.

ARiGoldisaG,

You're wrong. The Pirates would in fact have the 3rd overall pick next year.

Here's a link about signing draft picks

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061024&content_id=1722211&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Yes, I now realize that was the old rule. My bad.

I heard Gordon Beckham is holding out for $3MM, but does intend to sign.

sunking-

did you hear that fron anywhere in particular? to me, 3mil is not that bad of a price, considering we paid about 1.5 for poreda last year, and he was a late 1st rounder. the first pick this year bringing in 6 mil, so 3 sounds right. but, it depends greatly on if you heard correctly or you heard that from someone just guesstimating....

The Pirates will sign Alvarez. Relax.

Like I said, MLB likes the above-slot signings to be announced as late as possible, and Alvarez wanted, wants, and will get the biggest payday in the draft. The Pirates would not have drafted him if they weren't absolutely going to get it done.

Also, a high school senior who doesn't sign doesn't have to wait three more years to be drafted again. He can go to junior college and be draft eligible every year.

The thing that you guys forget is that it is very likely that these contracts that the top 10 draftees are negotiating right now might be the biggest paydays they ever get. Whether through attrition or ineffectiveness, there's no garuantee that any of these guys will amount to anything in the big leagues. I can go on forever on a lost of great performing/great health younsters that don't make it because of horrible management. The truth is that a good MLB player is a product of a confluence of many forces of which he may not even have control of.

bigbaddbobbyjenks,
Gordon's father told it to a mutual friend. It may have just been grandstanding, but that's the number he gave. It ain't cheap, but not unreasonable. The White Sox seem to really like him so they'll probably pay it or something close.