With Friday’s deadline to sign 2016 amateur draft picks creeping up, the Red Sox and first-round selection Jason Groome are in a dispute over how much the left-hander is worth, reports Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball. Boston is currently offering Groome $3.5MM – which is $372K more than the 12th overall selection’s $3,192,800 slot value – according to Heyman, who adds that the 17-year-old had a pre-draft agreement with the Padres to sign for $5MM had he fallen to them at No. 24. The Red Sox have in the neighborhood of $400K remaining in their pool and could up their offer to Groome, Heyman notes, and he expects the two to eventually reach a deal.
More from Boston and a few other major league destinations:
- An unusually high number of scouts (18) recently took in a Class-A Rookie League Game for the Rangers, leading FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal to wonder if a trade is on the way. Specifically, the Rangers and Brewers could match up in a deal for catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Rosenthal suggests, with a scout informing him that Milwaukee has been observing Texas’ system. Brewers general manager David Stearns has not been averse to acquiring teenage prospects in the past, writes Rosenthal, who lists 17-year-old outfielder Leody Taveras and 18-year-old shortstop Anderson Tejada as a couple of the Rangers’ top Arizona League players. The Rangers have drawn connections since the offseason to Lucroy, an All-Star backstop who’s signed for cheap through next season.
- Prior to his late-season major league breakout last year, Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. garnered the attention of several GMs while he was thriving in the minors, according to agent Scott Boras. “I had six different general managers calling me, because he was just killing the ball in Triple-A,” Boras said (via Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald). Boras added that he doesn’t ask GMs to trade his clients, so he didn’t request a deal out of Boston for Bradley – who has been outstanding for the Red Sox since last August. The 26-year-old earned his first All-Star trip this season on the strength of a .296/.378/.548 batting line with 14 home runs in 344 trips to the plate. In addition to his prowess with the bat, Bradley has been among the majors’ premier base runners this year, as FanGraphs shows.
- The Yankees’ playoffs odds at FanGraphs sit at a measly 7.5 percent, which Joel Sherman of the New York Post cites while arguing that it would be “terrible business” for the .500 team to retain lefty closer Aroldis Chapman past the Aug. 1 trade deadline. With World Series contenders like the Cubs, Rangers and Nationals looking to augment their bullpens, Sherman believes the Yankees are in prime position to orchestrate a bidding war for Chapman, whom they acquired from the Reds for an underwhelming group of prospects over the winter. Chapman was then dealing with a troubling domestic violence incident off the field, but he served a month-long suspension to begin the year and has continued dominating on the mound since. Even if the Yankees do trade Chapman, that wouldn’t preclude them from making a push to re-sign the pending free agent in the offseason, Sherman points out.
Gotta sign Groome. We need that kind of pitcher in our system.
Seriously he’s so good
JBJ his last 141 games: .285 avg, .913 OPS, 23HR, 90R, 96RBI, 139 wRC+.
Anderson Tejada is a white sox prospect
Different Anderson Tejeda. Wrong link.
interesting, I honestly didn’t think we would be in on Lucroy. we need pitching depth something awful.
It was all speculation on his part. I actually think the Brewers were scouting because the rangers are more interested in Brewers bullpen arms.
After losing 5 prospects and being banned from signing any international prospects for the 2016-2017 season the Red Sox have to sign Groome. They can’t afford to have the pick roll over to next season. He’s the most valuable prospect they’re going to have a chance to sign for the next two years. They need to be able to infuse some starting pitching talent into their system. Just make it happen.
They can’t unless y’all want to have the penalty of losing your first round pick next year… He wants 5m, they can offer only up to 3.9m without the penalty. Is groome worth losing your first rounder next year? I say no way, but I guess DD will have to decide.
They could have paid Groome $5M and not paid a penalty or lose a draft pick. They just had to pay a few other draft choices less, or not signed one or two others. They made their choice and are taking a chance.
Just curious… how is that not the Pads tampering?
Hi, we’re going to draft you and pay you above way above slot value. Oh we didn’t draft you? Too bad, tell the team that did they need to pay way above slot value to sign you.
If this happened the other way around fans would be lined up screaming about the Red Sox breaking the rules.
Pre-draft deals are common place. The Braves did it with their pick this year. It can backfire badly like this and the Astros a couple years back.
I know what you are thinking too. The Red Sox and the international issue, but that was violating the bonus pool.
I admit I am being a little more sensitive than usual but we’re not talking about an early pick. Groome, from everything I’ve seen, was expected to go pretty early. Several of the more reputable talking heads were even surprised he fell to the Red Sox at pick 12. And yet here are the Pads making him an offer if he fell to number 24.
It just seems a little sleazy to me. Even if he wasn’t selected by the Red Sox it seems like the Pads primed the pump for some team to have a signing issue.
Not going to deny that. but his asking price before the draft was between 4 and 5 million. The fact that the Padres told him he could get it from them if he fell to them doesn’t change that.
The Red Sox knew the cost when the selceted him, and knew he wasn’t bound by the NCAA rules about talking money with clubs either before or after the draft since he is going to JC.
Groome was highly touted and it’s not unreasonable for his representation to ask for 5 MM. It is more sleazy that MLB created the slot system than anything a player has done.
Groome has every right to ask for X amount, highly touted or not. Teams pass on a player if it doesn’t fit into their planned buget. Nothing sleazy about that. Last time I checked in western society you have the right to choose who you want to work for. If you price yourself out of the market, so be it.
Well you know gentlemen there is a reason why he fell and it was signability…of corse
And does anyone here really think this kid wants to sit til next June or attend some peckerwood JC…. Not!
If you take a guy asking for that much over-slot with that high of a pick, you have to have a plan to sign him.
The Red Sox knew what it would take to sign Groome before he was selected. If they didn’t, then they really botched the pick.
Guys play a year of JC ball to up their chances at a better deal all the time. I played with two or three of them in JC.
If the Red Sox dont sign Groome is it safe to assume that Red Sox Nation will blame the Padres for it?
But at least this explains some of the draft day question marks about day 1 for the Padres.
This was my first thought. Drafting the way they did anticipating groome makes a lot more sense. I wonder if he would have fallen to them had the red sox not taken him.
Indians should package C Roberto Perez, SS Erik Gonzalez, RHP Adam Plutko, & 1B Nellie Rodriguez For C Matthew LuCroy & 1B/DH/OF Chris Carter. Yan Gomes is a backup catcher. Toronto knew that when they sent Gomes & Aviles to the Tribe for Esmil Rodgers. Blue Jays were probably shocked as anybody by Gomes breakout campaign. Tribe could carry 3 Catchers Gimenez as Bauer’s personal catcher. Gimenez can also play 1B/3B/OF. Gomes played 1B/3B w/ Toronto (Gomes would also be Kluber’s personal catcher). Plus LuCroy could shift to 1B if necessary. Carter would provide protection at 1B (Aguilar in AAA .220 is barely a 4 A player), start vs. lefties since Santana struggles right-handed. Plus provide a threat on the bench.
To get JONATHAN Lucroy and Chris Carter is going to take a lot more than those 4 prospects you mentioned. None of those guys are even top 10 in the Indians farm system. It’s going to take at least Frazier, Bradley, Aiken, or Sheffield to get Lucroy, let alone including Carter in a deal. Brewers may be rebuilding but they don’t need to settle for a bunch of low to mid tier prospects for Lucroy.
I think he may have meant Matt Lecroy! The former Twins catcher..
No? Oh, never mind.
:-P
Is Chris0815 an Indians fan now?
Not enough spelling mistakes or teams in the trade. He would have included at least two other teams’ e tire MiLB systems.
Don’t forget about the international slot $ and/or (most likely and, let’s be serious) draft picks!
Wouldn’t it be something if the Red Sox or the Orioles ended up winning the WS with the pitching they have? It would be crazy to see a team win purely on the insane offenses they have. I mean seriously, Adam Jones is on your team and he is like not even your 3rd best offensive player. Just absurd. And wow, the Red sox continue to amaze me with the emergence of JBJ, Mookie, and Xander all around the same time. It is going to be fun to watch how the end of the season plays out. I have missed years like this with such amazing offenses. I was a pitcher in high school so I love a good pitchers battle, but it seems like its been forever since we have had a surge in offense like it’s been this year. Well… besides my poor Bravos
Red Sox/O’s/Blue Jays could all be in the same boat realistically. It has been really fun to watch, I just don’t know if its sustainable.
Better get give Groome a deal fast.
LUCROY TRADE: Option 1
…………………………………………………………….
MILWAUKEE BREWERS RECEIVE:
Joey Gallo- 3B/OF
Luis Ortiz- RHP
Michael Matuella- RHP
Tyler Phillips- RHP
…………………………………………………………….
TEXAS RANGERS RECEIVE:
Jonathan Lucroy- C
Jeremy Jeffress- RHP
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LUCROY TRADE: Option 2
…………………………………………………………….
MILWAUKEE BREWERS RECEIVE:
AJ Reed- 1B
Francis Martes- RHP
David Paulino- RHP
…………………………………………………………….
HOUSTON ASTROS RECEIVE:
Jonathan Lucroy- C
Carlos Torres- RHP
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