Bleacher Bums Forum

Guy on other site says that Bryant is close. 

I wonder how it goes.  I think most or all of the guys who are going to sign have already agreed, even if they haven't passed physicals and made it official yet.  So their cut of the cap is mostly already committed, and Bryant's cut is left. 

I imagine several options:
1.  Bryant wants to wait, until they've signed everybody else; then he just gets whatever is left.  They may want to reserve a couple hundred thousand just in case some HS overslot candidate who's said he's going college changes his mind and decides to accept.  Or in case some guy like Remillard suddenly looked good enough to command some overslot.  So maybe they'd only be willing to give him $5.8 today, but once the college commits stay true to college plans, they'll be able to give him $6.3 without costing them any prospect. 

2.  Conversely, maybe they've reserved a $6.3 slot for Bryant, and have already signed as many overslots as they can afford given that.  But if Bryant signs for $5.8, perhaps that will free up an additional $500K to up offers to guys like Garcia or Leach or Pena. 

I think about 24 picks have already agreed.  All but two of the other college junior types have already agreed, other than 28th and 36th rounders, and maybe they have too. 

They've already done several of the overslot/superslot teenagers (Clifton, Alamo, Burks), and perhaps more (Pena?  Garcia?) 

I'm sure that Clifton/Alamo have more than exhausted the overslot money.   Not sure whether Z or Hannemann may be variably underslot, but I'm guessing that Masek and/or Frasier might be variably overslot, and perhaps Garner too.  So my guess is that for rounds 2-10, we're spending overslot, not under, and Clifton/Amaro way more.  So I'd be pretty surprised if there's enough left to pay Bryant slot even if they wanted to.  But how far under, who knows. 

Boras tends to take them up right until the last hour, even when there's no reason to.  I'll be pleasantly surprised if that doesn't happen here.

Yeah but he only has a month to play with.  Even if they take it up to the deadline, big deal.

JR there is a guy on that PSD site who obsessively finds and stalks the twitter accounts of guys drafted and/or their hometown newspapers. And the kids who are drafted are all tweeting stuff about how happy they are to be Cubs and how they are heading to Arizona etc etc.

I'm sure that Clifton/Alamo have more than exhausted the overslot money.   Not sure whether Z or Hannemann may be variably underslot, but I'm guessing that Masek and/or Frasier might be variably overslot, and perhaps Garner too.  So my guess is that for rounds 2-10, we're spending overslot, not under, and Clifton/Amaro way more.  So I'd be pretty surprised if there's enough left to pay Bryant slot even if they wanted to.  But how far under, who knows. 

As a true free market supporter, I hate the slotting system... but I have to admit that it can result in some very interesting games between teams and the drafted prospects.  I am not saying that it is happening with the Cubs, or with anyone, but a team in the position of the Cubs could be very direct with a top prospect, telling him immediately that they are offering him the full recommended slot amount (or the full amount plus some percentage) if he signs immediately, but that they are going to be aggressively pursuing some of the lower round high school picks which they will have to seriously overslot, and that as they do so, they will keep him fully and promptly informed of those signings so he can keep track of what remains in the team's overall pool of funds, and that if those other picks sign, then the pool of funds available for him will shrink, and will end up leaving the team with less available to sign him than the team is initially offering.

craig, that is the exact same thing, only worded differently.  I didn't offer how it would be worded when speaking to the prospect or his agent, but only what would be happening.  How it would "work" as you word it is exactly how I explained it.  Either way you have the top pick looking at a shrinking pool of available funds and wondering whether he should accept a current offer while the money is still there, or hold out for more, with the chance that not only will the "more" no longer be available later, but that the available pool of funds may shrink to the point that the team is no longer able to honor the original offer.

Astros expected to sign Appel for $6-6.5, so Bryant should be signing soon for a decent amount under slot.

I'd be kinda of shocked if it goes really long.  The Cubs/Astros are likely very close in dollars to what the Appel/Bryant want.  With the penalties as steep as they are for going over your pool you need to pretty much know what it is going to take to sign everybody, so there isn't a whole lot of room to haggle over.