The Opener: Draft Pick Signings, Robertson, Twins

On the heels of an exciting All-Star game, here are three things to keep an eye on around the baseball world while the league is on break:

1. Draft pick signings:

This year’s iteration of the MLB draft wrapped up earlier this week, and that means it’s time for clubs around the league to work on signing their picks. The Mariners have reportedly already reached an agreement with third-overall pick Kade Anderson, and several reports of lower-level pick signings have begun to emerge as well. Teams figure to spend the next few weeks hard at work to sign their drafted players, as the deadline to strike a deal with members of this year’s class is on July 28. Teams aren’t just negotiating with players they drafted, however. Undrafted free agents have also begun signing, with 22 of the league’s 30 teams having already signed at least one such player according to Baseball America.

2. Will Robertson sign somewhere?

It’s not often that big league-caliber free agents of note remain unsigned into July, but that’s exactly the situation closer David Robertson has found himself in. After not signing during an offseason where he held firm on his asking price, Robertson has begun throwing for teams and is getting recent interest from multiple clubs. Robertson could be an attractive addition to a contending club looking for bullpen help given that he would cost nothing but money, though missing the first half of the season could come with consequences in terms of his performance. Still, bringing in a player with a career 2.91 ERA and 177 saves across 16 years in the majors without having to surrender prospect capital in trade could be a very attractive option for some clubs in contention that either have weak farm systems or are hesitant about prices on the relief market this summer.

3. Could the Twins’ impending sale impact their deadline decisions?

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters about a variety of topics yesterday, and included in those comments was a belief on Manfred’s part that the Pohlad family would be successful in their efforts to sell the Twins in due time. With the league’s commissioner expressing confidence in public that a sale will go through just two weeks before MLB’s trade deadline, it’s not hard to wonder if the Twins’ deadline approach could be impacted by the looming specter of a sale on at least some level. That could manifest in multiple ways. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey has said he’s not focused on selling, and the Twins are just two games under .500 and four games back in the Wild Card hunt. A potential sale could impact the team’s willingness to take on additional money, however, and it could well have some influence on how far back Minnesota needs to be in the standings before selling off some veteran pieces.