Email a copy of 'Nationals Release Matt Purke' to a friend
Loading ...
By Steve Adams | at
Email a copy of 'Nationals Release Matt Purke' to a friend
MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com
hide arrows scroll to top
WisBrave
There you go Braves pick him up.
Bleed_Orange
Always sucks to read stories like this. I remember Purke being talked about going number 1 overall.
Marc
He was selected in the first round and turned it down. Unfortunately he didn’t see it as the following -You can always go back to school but you have a small and unknown window to play professional sports. Should have taken the money early.
Bleed_Orange
That’s why I never understood when someone is drafted in the first round why they turn down the money and reenter the draft later. There really wasn’t that much of a difference between what he would have received between 16 and a top 10 pick. He’s very lucky to have gotten the money that he got.
baseball lifer
The Rangers reportedly offered 4 million. Purke held out for 6 million. But at the time, the Rangers could not offer any more than 4 million due to the pending bankruptcy issues. I guess sometimes bankruptcy is a good thing…
tom 26
Anyone that wants him remember he will miss at least half of the upcoming season recovering from Tommy john surgery
Marc
So give him a <$1MM for a two year deal, throw in some incentives, help him rehab, and hope he can contribute at age 25.
rich 18
Much less than a mil. At this point he’ll get closer to 50k with incentives and rehab.
MadmanTX 2
Wonder if the Rangers could offer him a minor league deal & give him rehab to come back.
Alexander_Brovechkin
Sad. I had high hopes because he was so highly regarded in the prior draft, but he’s just never been healthy since the Nats drafted him. Hopefully he heals up and has a successful career somewhere.
Marc
24 y/o lefty? Someone will take a flyer on this kid.
tom 26
Not after two surgeries on his shoulder and a tommy john surgery last June. Maybe im wrong, just don’t think so
Marc
If Andrew Bailey keeps getting work, this kid will at least get a “prove-it” deal in the minors.
tom 26
Very true. You make a good point sir
Andy B
Good reminder that so many prospects just don’t make it. That’s a big signing bonus for 0 return
HalfSt
The Nats took a chance and it didn’t work. However, they have drafted others while injured when they fell to them, with great success. They got Anthony Rendon at #6 because of injuries. They got Lucas Giolito at #16. Who knows how Eric Fedde will turn out, but if some don’t work, you move on. The truth is that even supposed sure things don’t work out often for reasons other than injuries. Many kids are being released this winter- at least he got one big pay day.
This is one disadvantage for the draftees who signed Major League deals. The Nats have better players they need to put on the 40-man roster to protect them from next week’s Rule 5 draft. Going forward, I don’t know why anybody would pay him to rehabilitate when he is nowhere near Major League ready.
Sorry, kid. Good luck going forward.
Pennsy
I hope to see him back on the Nats. If anyone will understand Purke’s medicals, and if he’s worth a short, it will be them. They have had good luck in times past with taking risks on players with injury-concerns, and have already partially invested in his rehabilitation. It’s just a given he can’t be on the 40-man roster. If they didn’t want him in the system they could have released him any time, but the timing coinciding with the Rule 5 draft seems to imply a more practical reasoning for doing what is essentially the necessary thing in protecting other players.