Post-Draft Roundup: Hosmer, Smoak, Strasburg

I doubt the Nats would avoid Strasburg due to signability issues. They missed out on Crow not because they weren't willing to go high enough but because the two sides didn't really start negotiating until the night of the deadline.

The Nats went over-slot for almost all of their high draft picks (rounds 2, 3, 4, 5 and 15). I don't think money's the main problem, I think it was that Aaron Crow was asking for $3 mil more than the #1 overall pick up until the last night.

I didn't realize 6.2 was the largest signing bonus in history. Says the Posey articlle. If memory serves, didn't Travis Lee get 10 mil? I can't remember.

And I doubt that any team will be able to pass up on Strasberg. The guy's a beast, and any team that passes him up is gonna feel a Matt Bush esque moment. By the way if the nats keep on this path for the rest of the season, won't that mean they'll have 2 top 10 picks? Now how exactly is that fair?

The Strasburg showdown is despicable and calls to mind why the NBA instituted the draft lottery. I fear clubs like the Nats, M's, and Padres will simply tank their way through the season's latter stages in an effort to secure that first selection. Call me jaded.

As for the Nats passing due to signability...? It seems unlikely now, with all the blowback they're getting as a result of the Crow non-signing, though I suppose anything is possible. After all, Strasburg is certain to garner one of the biggest bonuses ever handed out- if not THE biggest- and the club will have to be more cautious, lest they see history repeat itself. Furthermore, with a second top 10 pick next year- the latter having considerable leverage as a result of MLB rules for compensatory picks (if the Nats don't sign the pick next year, it doesn't carry over for a third year)- Washington's budget will already be stretched tight. In another year, I think that the Nats would likely go the cautious route- and I still believe they'll do so with their compensatory selection- but Strasburg is a special talent; one I can't see ANYONE passing up a chance to grab. It wouldn't simply amount to another PR nightmare, but could essentially bring down a franchise already struggling to stay afloat.

I'm sure Seattle and San Diego will be crossing their fingers...and worried they'll take matters into their own hands. When the prize for ineptitude exceeds the price, everyone loses.

Whoever wins (loses?) the number one pick will not pass on Strasburg. On all three teams, he could be a 4 or 5 starter right now.

Im so sick of hearing people bitch and moan about how rookie make too much money. To damn bad, it is what it is. Being a stud in highschool/ college pays off for a guy, just like our parents always told us it would. The guy earned this money working his ass off in highschool and college to get to where he is, so now he is reaping his rewards. Why shouldn't they ask for more money? Baseball is making more money. How about NBA/NFL rookies? The top picks of those drafts get like 5x what Posey got in signing bonuses. Play better in college and you will make more money when you turn pro, just the same as play better in the pro's and you will make more money when you hit free agency. It is what it is.

I think you have to remember that even if the Nats get two top 10 picks next year, they still have to sign those guys for huge money. It's unlikely the Nats could afford to sign two top ten talents unless they basicaly threw away the rest of their draft. And if they were to fail the sign that pick again next year, then they never get it back. So having those picks isn't really the advantage that it initially seems to be