With the Pirates looking for their first interleague sweep in 11 years, GM Neal Huntington met with reporters before the game, including Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Sulia).
- On signing first round draft choice Mark Appel, Huntington says "it's a challenging sign." Scott Boras is advising Appel and Biertempfel references other Boras clients who were tough signs but came to terms. Biertempfel thinks negotiations will heat up as the July 13 deadline approaches.
- Huntington was asked about dealing with Boras, "We've dealt with him a handful of times, both on the amateur market and on Major League free-agent market. He's … There's a reason he's negotiated all the contracts he's negotiated. It, uh … it is what it is."
- Huntington described the team's sales pitch to its draft picks, "We talk about who we are as an organization, the success that's coming through our deep and talented farm system and the role they can play in that. You throw the money at them and sometimes that's the final, and maybe only, deciding factor."
Boras doesn’t have much leverage here, and unlike the Fielder deal, he can’t run off and find a rich owner willing to throw bags of money at his client.
sure he does, Appel can always go back to school for his senior year and try to raise his stock (which considering his stuff isn’t out of the question, all he really needs to work on is command)
That delays his big payday by at least a year, which won’t happen until he reaches the bigs and excels. Plus he could get hurt with zero compensation. What baseball needs to do is make it more akin to other sports when it comes to agents. No advisor BS. When a football or basketball declares for the draft and signs with an agent, there’s no going back. Why can’t baseball adopt this? Then it would be a moot point.
The kid will get less if he doesn’t sign this season. As a Pirate fan I want him to sign but would be OK with the 9th pick next season!!!
Interesting point of reference here and using Boston site Soxprospects here.. They have #24 overall draftee Deven Marrero (Boras represented) predicted to sign at around slot. The site generally is pretty close every year, however they gain that knowledge is a good question, but anyway.. That is the prediction and remember.. prior to his Jr. season Marrero was predicted to be a top 10 pick.. Seems wooden bats didn’t agree with him his jr season.
Pittsburgh also should be able to get Appler, maybe not for slot but redirect some $$ to him and nowhere near 6m now after Boras misread the market. It might come down to the wire on Appler making his worst of all choices on the table and maybe he would be even wiser finding new representation during his professional career.
Playing hardball with Boras isn’t the worst choice either.. Take it or leave it offers with no choice in between.. Boston did that when Holliday was a FA and he turned it down, then the one with Matsuzaka when he signed.. Takes away all of his supposed “skills” or as I prefer.. Nonsense the better word.
I think the new CBA has some potentially fascinating consequences. It may be you will see more and more of the top tier talent get pushed down (especially when represented by Boras, or maybe Lozado) and then the selecting teams will sign everyone else on their list and come back to the player and say “can’t break slot”
You wonder if there’s going to be some lawsuits over this
Good point.. Several players STILL slipped to rounds 15+ this season and only way to sign them is redirect money from signing others cheaply as of now.
The players..If HS can always go to college of course, but the JC draftee, or even worse (from draftee point of view) is forced to reenter the draft the next season with even less leverage if they reenter as a Senior.
For what it’s worth.. Boston already has signed 6 college Seniors drafted between rounds 5 and 10.. Some as low as 30k and are one of the teams who took some of the high impact people (HS) in rounds 4, 15 and even lower that you for instance are mentioning and many think may not have been signable.
It is going to be quite interesting at who signs for what dollar figure come the deadline and which College juniors decide to reenter the draft next June also.