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HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM - Astros Fail to Sign #1 Pick Brady Aiken

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Jaypers

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
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IL
I'm still in shock. He is only the third #1 pick not to sign.

Major blow to 2014 Bowman Draft as well. :(
 

HPC

New member
Aug 12, 2008
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Phoenix, AZ
Not sure whether the Astros are so terribly managed that they misallotted their funds or just found a way to back out

Either way, not good for anyone involved
 

maxe0213

New member
Oct 10, 2012
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California and Oregon for school
Not sure whether the Astros are so terribly managed that they misallotted their funds or just found a way to back out

Either way, not good for anyone involved

Nothing to do with that IMO. He has an elbow issue. His ucl (I think) is very small or something. It's explained in depth elsewhere. Does he think he will get more money when he re enters in the draft? No way does he get more. Bad mistake by him.

Pushes the Astros back as well in the development stage.
 

maxe0213

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Oct 10, 2012
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Looks like the stros ended up increasing their offer and tried to sign him today but the gm was quoted as saying that they tried to contact casey close (the agent) three times today but there was no interest from Aiken or Close.

They were said to have increased their offer today up to 5 million and he still didn't bite.

Aiken is an idiot to think he would be in a better situation than he would've been with the Astros.
 

AmishDave

Featured Contributor, Collector Showcase, Senior M
Sep 19, 2009
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So I'm guessing they didn't sign Nix either (especially since he is represented by the same agent as Aiken) ?
 

HPC

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Nothing to do with that IMO. He has an elbow issue. His ucl (I think) is very small or something. It's explained in depth elsewhere. Does he think he will get more money when he re enters in the draft? No way does he get more. Bad mistake by him.

Pushes the Astros back as well in the development stage.

Deadspin's article basically says that the Astros miscalculated their allotments for each pick and if they would have signed Aiken and another pick, they would have been over their total signing bonus number which would lead to them being penalized

Exerpt: "...with Close, who believes that the Astros are using this apparent physical issue as an excuse to game the entire draft system. The team is trying to pressure Aiken into accepting a deal for $3.1 million, and Close believes that they are using another one of his clients, fifth-round pick Jacob Nix, as leverage. The Astros had already agreed to a $1.5 million deal with Nix, but now they are threatening to rescind the deal if Aiken doesn't sign at a reduced rate.

The Astros are doing this because they are trying to dance around baseball's draft rules. Each team is assigned a "bonus pool" by the league before each draft, a total dollar amount that teams are allowed to spend on draft-pick bonuses. This year, the Astros' pool was $13,362,200, but if they fail to sign Aiken, his $7.9 million slot value gets lopped off the top of that. If the Astros were then to honor Nix's $1.5 million deal, they would end up spending more money than was in their pool, and would be penalized by losing at least one future draft pick. This is also why the Astros are offering Aiken exactly $3.1 million—as long as they offer Aiken least 40 percent of his slot value, they will get the second overall pick in the 2015 draft if he ends up not signing."
 

maxe0213

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Deadspin's article basically says that the Astros miscalculated their allotments for each pick and if they would have signed Aiken and another pick, they would have been over their total signing bonus number which would lead to them being penalized

Doesn't matter if they miscalculated.

Fact is Astros offered him 5 million and he turned it down. Idiotic move and he won't get more when he's drafted again.
 

maxe0213

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Oct 10, 2012
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California and Oregon for school
Deadspin's article basically says that the Astros miscalculated their allotments for each pick and if they would have signed Aiken and another pick, they would have been over their total signing bonus number which would lead to them being penalized

Exerpt: "...with Close, who believes that the Astros are using this apparent physical issue as an excuse to game the entire draft system. The team is trying to pressure Aiken into accepting a deal for $3.1 million, and Close believes that they are using another one of his clients, fifth-round pick Jacob Nix, as leverage. The Astros had already agreed to a $1.5 million deal with Nix, but now they are threatening to rescind the deal if Aiken doesn't sign at a reduced rate.

The Astros are doing this because they are trying to dance around baseball's draft rules. Each team is assigned a "bonus pool" by the league before each draft, a total dollar amount that teams are allowed to spend on draft-pick bonuses. This year, the Astros' pool was $13,362,200, but if they fail to sign Aiken, his $7.9 million slot value gets lopped off the top of that. If the Astros were then to honor Nix's $1.5 million deal, they would end up spending more money than was in their pool, and would be penalized by losing at least one future draft pick. This is also why the Astros are offering Aiken exactly $3.1 million—as long as they offer Aiken least 40 percent of his slot value, they will get the second overall pick in the 2015 draft if he ends up not signing."
They upped the offer to 5 million. If he accepted they would've signed both. Aiken is going to regret not signing for 5 million dollars.
 

HPC

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Aug 12, 2008
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Phoenix, AZ
They upped the offer to 5 million. If he accepted they would've signed both. Aiken is going to regret not signing for 5 million dollars.

Aiken and his agent both say his arm is fine.

Why should he accept an offer well below the alloted slot?

Will he regret not taking it, probably, since chances are he will not be picked 1st again, but he shouldn't feel bad for turning down the Astros games
 

maxe0213

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Oct 10, 2012
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Aiken and his agent both say his arm is fine.

Why should he accept an offer well below the alloted slot?

Will he regret not taking it, probably, since chances are he will not be picked 1st again, but he shouldn't feel bad for turning down the Astros games

Because it's more money than he will get again. Who knows what happens in college or where ever he goes? He could get badly injured and never play again. He will never sniff 5 million after getting drafted again. Sure if he turns out great then he obviously will make it up but it's an idiotic decision to disregard that financial security all for an extra million dollars when he could've gotten 5 mil without throwing a pitch in the bigs.
 

Musial Collector

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
5,671
2
Can't believe I'm agreeing with Maxe on a something but I am.
I would like to hear the agents justification of turning down 5 million. Why cause it was 2 million less than the slot amount. Ok but you just lost your client 5 MILLION DOLLARS!!!
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,187
4,099
Where is that story on the guy who passed on signing 4 times and ended up working at a tire center making $12/Hr or something like that!!? maybe it won't end the same way, but it is difficult to have sympathy for anyone who is offered 5 mILLION AND HAS NEVER PLAYED A mob game in his life, not to mention he is a pitcher. How often do those #1 picks and highly touted guys make good when they are pitchers?
 
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