Bleacher Bums Forum

This is what I posted a couple weeks ago re: Lockhart:

Lockhart, a 10th-round selection in this year’s Major League Baseball draft, agreed to terms with the Cubs recently but hasn’t officially signed his paperwork. The Hebron Christian grad expecting a call from club officials any day to report to Arizona to complete his signing.

Maybe there was a snafu.

This is what I posted a couple weeks ago re: Lockhart:



Maybe there was a snafu.

"Oh.  You're representing the Chicago Cubs".

That's the type of signing that makes me think guys like Jacquez, Dunston or Maples won't get signed. Urban was supposedly a value target and probably didn't come cheap, so I'd be concerned the Cubs are shifting priorities.

Either way, Urban pitched this summer in the Cal Ripken Sr. League and didn't fare all that well.

A different board reports that Vogelbach went to chicago for his physical on Wednesday and also signed. 

Interesting that reaching an agreement and actually signing seem significantly unlinked.  And until the signings are official, they don't go on the BA listing.  But Lockhart was said to have agreed some time ago.  Gretzky, maybe similar? 

In some of the cases, I imagine there could be some scheduling details.  The Cubs seem to like to bring a lot of the guys to Chicago and show them around Wrigley.  That usually/often involves their parents coming along as well.  And it often involves a physical.  And it often involves Hendry and/or other Cub personnel giving some attention. 

May be that reaching an agreement is one thing, but getting the Cubs doc available, days when both parents can come, and when Hendry is available all on the same day is perhaps not so trivial. 


In Lockhart's case, perhaps doing it in Atlanta rather than a full trip to Chicago made better scheduling sense.  If I hadn't seen the report that Vogelbach did come to Chicago, I might have figured that Atlanta might be a nice stop for him, too.  Or Baez. 

I'm just sincerely trying to understand how the process works.  A player says he's made a deal, but it's often many weeks before it's completed and the player lists as being actually and officially signed.  Why?  I'm sincerely trying to understand. 

I'm also curious about the sequence.  Is Selig the last signature, after the player has already signed a contract?  Or is the player the last finalizing signature, only after the terms have been pre-approved by Selig?  I had always assumed that Selig was last, but now I'm wondering if it's the reverse, that the Cubs can't offer and have it signed before it's been pre-cleared by Selig.  Or can it go in either order, Selig first and player last or vice versa? 

Lockhart said he'd agreed several weeks ago, but signed last night.  Vogelbach reportedly just signed on Wednesday.  I had assumed that team reaches agreement, player signs contract, and it goes to Selig.  But clearly the player signings do not come as soon as the agreement is reached.  Is it Selig that delays the actual player signing, or internal player/family/Cub reasons? (Certainly if you know Bud won't finalize till August anyway, there is probably no reason to rush the signing.) 

My other question is how this relates to the Monday deadline guys.  What has to be completed before the deadline?  A qualitative agreement, and then the contractual details and signatures come later?  A completed contract that has been already pre-approved by Selig and just needs a signature from player?  A deal with the player's signature, and Bud can sign it when he gets around to it? 

I guess my assumption has always been that either a deal needs to be pretty much done before Monday, so that paperwork and faxed/scanned signatures can get processed and shipped to Selig with time to spare.  Or that there is a fairly standard contract format, and there's really one or two pages that have dollar figures listed.  So you can have everything set, agree at 2:00, type in newly agreed numbers at 2:01, print it by 2:02, email a copy to the player by 2:03, have him print at 2:04, sign at 2:05, scan by 2:07, and email it back to the club by 2:08, and ship to commish by 2:10.  And that the commisioner will then approve them whenever, but not before the deadline. 

I'm not a legal guy, but this is the first year that we've had so many contracts coming down to the wire.  So I'm just curious how the timing and sequence all goes.  Or whether the announcements might come on Monday, but all the decision-making will be wrapped today. 

The bottom line is that these late signees, who are the cream of the draft, are missing out on their first pro season, and their road to the majors is going to be longer.

Makes no sense for the players or for the teams.

I'm just sincerely trying to understand how the process works.  A player says he's made a deal, but it's often many weeks before it's completed and the player lists as being actually and officially signed.  Why?  I'm sincerely trying to understand. 

Any of the possibilities you listed could be the way it is done.... and I have no idea which one it might be, or whether there is any requirement that things be in one order or another.

A few signing bonuses accoring to BA:

Tayler Scott - $279,500

Garrett Schlecht - $235,000

Michael Jensen - $225,000