The 2009 Amateur Draft took place only two months ago, but the deadline for signing players who were selected in that draft is drawing near. Adam Rubin of the Daily News wrote this week that the Mets are optimistic about signing their top draft pick, Long Island high schooler Steven Matz, before he accepts an athletic scholarship to pitch at Coastal Carolina in the fall.
The August 17 deadline is less than a week away, but the Mets have known what it will take to sign Matz for quite some time. The Ward Melville left-hander hasn't been shy about expressing his expectations for a signing bonus - it will cost the Mets a cool $1.1 million to get Matz to forego his college career.
Signing Matz would represent somewhat of a departure from the Mets' approach to the amateur draft in the last few years. Matz, a second-round pick in 2009, is asking for a signing bonus nearly twice as much as what MLB told its teams to pay for players selected at that point in the draft. The Mets, for some strange reason, have been reluctant to offer signing bonus beyond the slot recommendations of the commissioner's office.
(Read the entire post at Productive Outs and Crackerjack)
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hallelujah!!! it's about time!
ReplyDeleteI guess this is a god sign, but I'm not sold that this will be a change of philosophy. In my opinion, the only reason they're going over slot with this kid is because they didn't have to pay a first round pick. I bet next year they go right back to their cheapskate ways, they'll have a top ten draft pick, and they'll do what they've always done, and that is pick a lesser talented guy because he will cost less. The organization is a joke, from ownership to the front office to the players on the field.
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