THURSDAY, 5:43PM: The deal was officially announced today. DeShields' bonus is worth $2.15MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (Twitter link). As Callis notes, this bonus is $107K over the recommended slot for the eighth overall pick.
TUESDAY, 6:51PM: The Astros have reached an agreement with eighth overall pick Delino DeShields Jr., according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. DeShields' father, longtime big leaguer Delino DeShields, told McTaggart yesterday that his son would sign. The younger DeShields turns 18 on August 16th, the date by which teams must sign their draft picks.
This year's MLB draft guide noted that DeShields was "one of the best high school running backs in Georgia" and had committed to LSU.
It's not clear how much the Astros will commit to the compactly-built teenager, but recent history suggests the bonus will fall in the $2MM range. Mike Leake ($2.27MM in 2009), Gordon Beckham ($2.6MM in 2008) and Casey Weathers ($1.8MM in 2007) all signed for $2MM or so after their clubs selected them eighth overall. The recommended bonus for the eighth overall pick was $2.04MM last year.
Click here for MLBTR's list of first-round picks to sign.
