2007 MLB Amateur Draft Signing Bonuses - Update II

Last time this subject was touched on, we were a month away from the deadline for MLB teams to sign their 2007 draft picks [2007 MLB Amateur Draft Signing Bonuses - Update]. Time has elapsed, and the August 15th deadline is drawing near. In 6 days, MLB teams will either sign their picks or those unsigned players will be playing college ball (or there is always playing in an independent league). As of a month ago, signing bonuses for drafted players had been down across the board. Teams had been succumbing to pressures from the office of the MLB to decrease slot values by 10%. The thought was that if anything would change and bring the mean value any higher, it would be caused by the few who held out until the end. This theory is still being pushed. As of July 10th, 35 of the top 100 picks had not yet signed. As of July 20th (my most recent data), 22 of the top 100 picks have still not signed [PGCrossChecker - DRAFT 2007]. 13 of those 22 are first round selections. Among the first round picks that are still holding out is high-school pitcher, Rick Porcello, who slipped in the draft because no team wanted to pay the signing bonus that he would be asking for?besides the Detroit Tigers. In Porcello's slot, pick #27, the office of the MLB suggests that the Tigers grant him a bonus of $1.17 million. The assumption is that Scott Boras wants close to $7 million for his client [Negotiations drag into final week]. The same article, which was published on August 8th, notes that 12 teams still have not signed their first round picks. This means that not much has changed since the July 20th update, and that we can expect most slot-breaking deals to occur right before the deadline, if at all. I am rallying behind Boras and other agents who still have their clients holding out for values other than what the MLB recommends. I do not recommend that agents severely overvalue their clients, however, it is better that we have a few overvalued players than have a system that is completely regulated by the MLB. If the MLB is the sole arbiter of slot values and continues to insist a decrease in money every year, then we are going along a path where owners are unfairly benefitting at the expense of players who often times only see that one big signing bonus check. Check back in with you at the final hour. -Darren Heitner