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Draft Spending Roundup: Nats Set Record

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Some details on the millions of dollars that teams committed to the next wave of talent:

  • The Nationals spent more on this draft than any team has ever spent on a single draft, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
  • Callis ranks the top deals by present value and, not surprisingly, Stephen Strasburg comes out on top.
  • So how much did teams spend in total? They spent over $160MM on bonuses for players drafted in the first ten rounds, according to Callis. That's about $1MM more than teams spent on the same group of players last year, but Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers could stll sign late. As Callis notes, MLB doesn't have much to show for its efforts to slash bonuses. 
  • It's possible that this will be a record year for total draft bonuses awarded by MLB teams.

More Draft Pick Signings

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Some more signings came in late last night. Here they are, from Baseball America's Jim Callis:

  • The Yankees signed 44th rounder Evan DeLuca for $500k.
  • The Rangers signed 17th rounder Paul Strong for $300k. 
  • The Nationals signed 12th rounder Nathan Karns for $225k.  
  • The Padres signed 17th rounder Jorge Reyes for $200k. 
  • The Mets signed ninth rounder Jeff Glenn for $150k.  

Stephen Strasburg Reactions

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There's general agreement that the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg both did well last night. Here are some reactions from around the league:

Boras On Strasburg

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Scott Boras tells USA Today's Bob Nightengale that he was never seeking a deal worth $50MM for Stephen Strasburg. Instead, they were originally hoping to see an offer in the low 20s. Via Twitter, Nightengale adds that Strasburg won't make his MLB debut this year. In fact, there's a chance he won't debut with the Nats until 2011.

"Strasburg may or may not pitch in the major leagues next year," Boras told Nightengale. "We really hope they take their time developing him."

If Strasburg pitches again this year, Boras says it will be in the instructional league or the Arizona Fall League.

Nationals Sign Stephen Strasburg

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11:39pm: BA's Jim Callis has the contract breakdown.  Bill Shaikin and Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times have even further detail.

11:06pm: Baseball America's Aaron Fitt says Strasburg signed a Major League deal worth $15.67MM over four years.  Despite all the fears of absurd demands from Boras, the Nationals did well here.  Here's MLB.com's scouting report on the San Diego State righty.

11:04pm: This deal is close for $15MM, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown.  Of course, the deadline has technically already passed so we're still awaiting word.

10:14pm: Time for a fresh post chronicling the Nationals' attempt to sign first overall pick and Scott Boras client Stephen Strasburg.  The latest: SI's Jon Heyman says via Twitter that the Nats are upping their bid from $12.5MM.

Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Magglio, Marlins, Yanks

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It's going to be a busy night, so I hope you've got a comfy chair…

  • ESPN's Peter Gammons writes that the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg need each other. I have to agree with that.
  • MLB.com's Jason Beck notes that the Tigers still have to make a roster move to get the newly acquired Aubrey Huff on the 25-man roster, but GM Dave Dombrowski confirmed it would not involve Magglio Ordonez.
  • The Marlins signed second rounder Bryan Berglund for $572,500 according to Baseball America's Jim Callis, a touch over slot. We first learned of this signing over the weekend, but now we have a dollar figure.
  • Callis also reports that the Yankees have signed 16th rounder Bryan Mitchell to a deal worth $800,000. Obviously, that's way over slot.
  • Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets that 10 of top 15 picks were still unsigned when we woke up this morning, and that that's still the case with less than six hours until the deadline. Should be a fun night.
  • Kiley McDaniel of BP says he was told that another club fired an international scout last week for bonus skimming.

Stephen Strasburg Rumors: Monday

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2:01pm: Heyman hears that the Nats offered Strasburg $12.5MM.

12:35pm: Heyman hears that the Nats offered Strasburg more than $12MM. Scott Boras believes Strasburg's worth several times as much, but it's Strasburg's call in the end and it would be hard to turn down an eight-figure offer, even an "unfair" one. Still, Heyman says there's a good chance the two sides won't agree on a deal.

9:01am: With just 14 hours left before the deadline to sign draft picks, Stephen Strasburg is the one player everyone's watching most closely. Here's what everyone's saying about this year's first overall pick:

  • Jon Heyman of SI.com will be surprised if Strasburg signs with the Nationals today.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan expects the Nationals to sign Strasburg for about $20MM, but says the baseball world really revolves around Strasburg's agent, Scott Boras, this time of year.
  • Boras tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that Strasburg is the best college pitcher he's even seen.
  • But Chico Harlan of the Washington Post has some advice: Don't assume anything, no matter what you hear, until the deadline passes. Until then, "there's just no freakin' way to know what will happen." 
  • Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post shows that the Nationals and Scott Boras both have significant leverage in the negotiations.  
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says it makes no sense for Strasburg to turn down a record-setting offer.

Stephen Strasburg Rumors: Sunday

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7:10pm: Roch Kubatko at MASN Sports has a source close to the negotiations that says the Nationals' offer is worth $17MM, "with easily attainable incentives that could push it beyond $20MM." There is apparently worry about Strasburg's powerful makeup wearing his arm down, but the Nats "still think he's worth it."

The Nationals front office has reportedly also indicated to Strasburg there's a possibility they choose him again in next year's draft, with his consent.

1:31pm: Harlan now cites an anonymous source, saying that the record-breaking offer the Nationals have offered Strasburg will have to increase, if the fireballer is to sign with Washington.

Harlan's source says the offer has been on the table since last week, and no deal has been agreed upon yet. That, says the source, "should tell you enough."

Harlan writes that everyone involved in the negotiations expects them to go down to the final hours, if not the final minutes.

9:51am: With the deadline to sign at midnight tomorrow, the rumor mill's a-buzz with perspectives on Stephen Strasburg.

  • Maury Brown says it could be about years, not dollars. He writes, "If the Nationals do sign Strasburg, if smart, would be looking to avoid dealing with salary arbitration or possibly the first or second year of free agency eligibility. Look at deals such as Evan Longoria’s, Robinson Cano, or Troy Tulowitzki for examples."
  • Ken Davidoff, like most, has a "hunch" the deal will get done.
  • The AP is reporting that Nats president Stan Kasten acknowledged yesterday a "very real possibility" that the two sides will not reach an agreement.
  • Chico Harlan spoke with Ryan Zimmerman who chimed in: "When it comes down to it, Strasburg has to think about, ‘Can I go to bed if I turn down $15, 16 million dollars—whatever it is—to pass up the opportunity to play for these guys?’ That’s a lot of money. I don’t understand what he thinks will be better next year. If we don’t take him, who’s gonna take him next year? Pittsburgh? San Diego? San Diego is not gonna pay him more. Absolutely his leverage will never be higher."
  • Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post might agree with Zimmerman. Boz asks, "What team will ever be more over a barrel, or have a richer owner, than the worst-in-baseball-again Nats and multi-billionaire owner Ted Lerner?" In the same piece, he adds, "Signing contracts, not blowing them up, is their job and their responsibility — the Nats to their franchise and their fans, Boras to his client. If they don't get a deal done, it's a mammoth failure of adult supervision."
  • Rob Dibble suggests Strasburg will be as hated as his agent if he holds out.

Gammons’ Latest: Greene, Angels, Strasburg

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Peter Gammons has a new blog post up at ESPN, in which he writes about the wildcard races and what they mean for baseball. Bud Selig takes a lot of heat, but I don't think there's any arguing that the wildcard is one of his greatest achievements.

Anyway, Gammons drops a few rumor nuggets at the end of the piece, so let's round 'em up…

  • The Red Sox did not pursue Cardinals shortstop Khalil Greene when he cleared waivers. Remember to check out out handy dandy list of players who have already cleared waivers.
  • The Angels are reportedly interested in Heath Bell, who was put on waivers yesterday. Several GMs "expressed doubt that the Padres would be able trade him." I, for one, think the Pads would have no problem moving him if they really wanted to.
  • One GM says the Angels "should take Francisco Cordero. The Reds will move him."
  • Gammons says that most baseball people think the Nationals will sign Stephen Strasburg "if negotiations with Scott Boras do not get contentious." He guesstimates that Strasburg could get $22MM for three years, which would allow him to go to arbitration for three years and land another big payday. Or three. 
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