Top Talents Get Top Dollar as Negotiations Go Down to the Wire

Last night (midnight ET) was the deadline for 2009 draft picks to sign a professional contract, meaning many of the best amateurs in the nation are watching the ink dry on multi-million dollar bonuses. All but two first-rounders eventually came to an agreement with their clubs. (That doesn't include #12 pick Aaron Crow, who, as an indy leaguer, has extra time.) Scott Boras Corp. clients had particularly contentious negotiations, but once again Boras came out a winner. Boras clients set records for the richest overall deal ever, the top bonus for a high school player ever, and the highest bonus handed to a prep pitcher. Here's some of the biggest news from the last few days. (As always, Baseball America's Draft Database has a complete list of the bonuses and signees.)

• #1 pick Stephen Strasburg, after months of speculation, accepted a major league deal including a $7.5 million bonus and $15.1 million guaranteed. He had been rumored to be seeking much more than that, but the pact is still the richest of all time. Strasburg couldn't possibly have gained any more leverage by rejecting the Nats' offer, so he wisely accepted the figure. Now we'll see if he can live up to expectations and turn a franchise around single-handedly.
• Rangers 1st-rounder Matt Purke, a high school lefty who went 14th overall, was one of two 1st-rounders to not sign. Purke will take his overpowering fastball-breaking ball package to TCU, where he will be draft-eligible after 2 years.
• LeVon Washington couldn't come to terms with the Rays as the #30 overall pick, either. That would seem to make the speedy 2B/OF ticketed for Florida, but apparently he doesn't qualify academically, so I guess we'll see what happens.
• Dustin Ackley (Mariners, 2nd overall) garnered an MLB contract with a $6 million signing bonus and $7.5 million guaranteed. The smooth-swinger also has salary incentives for how quickly he reaches the major leagues. Seattle also got high school infielder Nick Franklin, their other 1st-rounder, for $1.28 million over the weekend.
  
• Donavan Tate, a high school outfielder from Georgia who went third overall, signed a $6.25 million deal with the Padres (that is spread out over 4 years because he is a multi-sport athlete). That is the largest bonus ever handed to a high school player. Earlier, San Diego gave 52nd overall pick Everett Williams $775,000 and 4th-rounder Keyvius Sampson $600,000. The trio spurned UNC, Texas, and Florida State, respectively.
• The Rockies capped off a superb draft by signing 11th overall pick Tyler Matzek for $3.9 million. A 6-3 lefty with incredible upside, Matzek had been headed to Oregon. Colorado got 3 1st-round talents--Matzek, 30th pick Tim Wheeler (OF, Sacramento State), and 32nd pick Rex Brothers (LHP, Lipscomb)--as well as several other sound picks. That'll give the farm system a nice boost.
• San Francisco's #1 pick, RHP Zack Wheeler, netted a $3.3 million bonus as the 6th overall selection.
• The Tigers spent big on a couple of Scott Boras clients, giving them one of the better draft hauls in the industry. Their top pick, Missouri high school RHP Jacob Turner, received a major league contract that includes a $4.7 million signing bonus and $5.5 million in guaranteed money (making it the largest contract ever for a high school hurler). Turner, who had been committed to North Carolina, has touched the upper-90s and flashed a nice curve and change. Detroit also gave 2nd-rounder Andy Oliver, an Oklahoma State lefty, $1.425 million. Prep shortstop Daniel Fields (6th round) signed for $1.625 million.
• Shelby Miller, a fireballing Texas righthander, signed an above-slot $2.875 bonus and instantly became the Cardinals' best prospect.
• The Indians locked up #15 pick Alex White with a $2.25 million signing bonus. White is a power righty out of North Carolina.
• The Reds spent over $3 million to sign their top two picks. Arizona State RHP Mike Leake, the 8th overall pick, took home $2.27 million and USC RHP Brad Boxberger, a supplemental-rounder, got $857,000.
• I wasn't blown away by the Marlins' effort, but at least they did come to terms with all of their top choices, particularly high school hurlers Chad James ($1.7 million) and Bryan Berglund ($572,500).
  
• The Blue Jays were aggressive in getting 3rd-rounder Jake Marisnick, an athletic high school outfielder from California, to sign for $1 million, but they had snafus with a trio of their other top picks. Supplemental-round LHP James Paxton will return to Kentucky, and high school pitchers Jake Eliopoulos (2nd round) and Jake Barrett (3rd round) will head to college. That's an extremely disappointing draft for Toronto, who didn't exactly have a thriving farm system in the first place.
• The Twins signed 1st-rounder Kyle Gibson for $1.8 million despite concerns over his health. Gibson, who has a stress fracture in his forearm, will be a steal if he regains his stuff--he could've been a top-10 pick if not for the injury.
• The Yankees signed their 1st-round pick, high school outfielder Slade Heathcott, for $2.2 million. New York also picked up prep catcher J.R. Murphy (supplemental-rounder) and Vanderbilt RHP Caleb Cotham (5th-rounder) for $1.25 million and $675,000, respectively.
• The A's doled out some huge bonuses, cementing their draft class as one of the finest in the game. 1st-rounder Grant Green, a shortstop from USC, got $2.75 million, while top high school catcher Max Stassi received $1.5 million. Ian Krol (7th round), a high school lefty, got $925,000 to sign with Oakland. Stassi had committed to UCLA, while Krol was an Arizona recruit.
  
• Tennessee outfielder Kentrail Davis, a sophomore-eligible Boras client (double whammy), inked a deal with the Brewers. Davis had an up-and-down spring, but still got $1.2 million (well above slot for the 39th overall pick).
• LSU took a blow when touted recruit Brody Colvin signed with Philadelphia (for $900,000). A power righthander, Colvin gives the Phillies' weak draft class a necessary boost. His bonus was the third highest in the 7th round.
• The Mets had a pretty awful draft, but they did sign 2 of their best picks. LHP Steven Matz, New York's first choice and the #72 overall pick, received $895,000 to forgo Coastal Carolina and 14th-round LHP Zach Dotson got $500,000 to pass up Georgia. That was about it, though. A big-market organization in dire need of a talent injection, New York completely and epically failed this year.
• The Rays handed prep 1B Jeff Malm (5th round) $680,000 and prep outfielder Todd Glaesmann (3rd round) $930,000. Tampa Bay was not so fortunate with its first two picks, though, as Washington and Stanford recruit Kenny Diekroeger went unsigned. That's kind of a rough draft for TB, as Malm, Glaesmann, and C Luke Bailey (4th round) are three of their only draftees whom I actually like.
• With Crow still yet to sign, major league clubs have spent over $160 million on the first 10 rounds of the draft this year, about the same as last year (a team-by-team look is available here). The Nationals also set the record for the most money sunk into a single draft class. Looks like MLB's misguided attempts to keep bonuses down are failing miserably.

Now the draft is finalized, we can begin to gauge teams' efforts (although it takes years to give them a proper final assessment). I think the Diamondbacks and Rockies had the top two drafts (taking draft position into consideration--the Nationals obviously collected the most talent), and I think the Mets and Blue Jays acquired next to nothing. Now that we know which college recruits were successfully shepherded through the draft and which ones were snatched up by pro ball, I will have a complete wrap-up of the top recruiting classes coming up.

Dustin Ackley

*Photo courtesy of www.seattlepi.com