While the majority of first-round picks from this year's draft have agreed to terms or signed, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Cubs and No. 2 overall selection Kris Bryant are "nowhere close to a deal."
Bryant and adviser Scott Boras are seeking a bonus greater than the $6.7MM assigned pick value, while the Cubs are hoping to sign him for just over $6MM, according to Heyman. The Cubs could spend as much as $7MM on Bryant without forfeiting draft picks for 2014, but they can also point to the fact that No. 1 pick Mark Appel signed for $6.35MM and No. 3 pick Jonathan Gray signed for $4.8MM.
Bryant, who hit 31 homers this season for the University of San Diego, could follow the path that Appel took in 2012 and return to college for his senior season to re-enter the draft in 2014. The Cubs wouldn't be able to reallocate the money they'd planned to spend on Bryant, though they would receive a compensatory pick in next year's draft. Heyman reports that talks could go all the way to the July 15 deadline.
