2007 MLB First Year Player Draft - Cincinnati Reds

[BRM]

August 15th is the last day to sign draft picks.

It's starting to look unlikely that Stouffer or the rest of the remaining unsigned top 10 picks will sign. Or are you hearing otherwise Doug?

[OesterPoster]

I've seen rumors on A&M boards that they expect Stouffer to return.

[dougdirt]

I don't have any rumors flying around on specific guys, but I have read a few places that if anyone is going to be signing for over slot, to expect it to be done on August 15th becuase MLB is not overly happy with it and want to keep it to a minimum. Maybe thats whats going on here. Of course, maybe its not.

[BRM]

I've seen rumors on A&M boards that they expect Stouffer to return.

That's too bad. I was fairly excited about getting him in the Reds system.

[OesterPoster]

That's too bad. I was fairly excited about getting him in the Reds system.

They're all basing it on his slot value of $180,000 though. If the Reds pay over slot like Doug mentioned above, then maybe he'll sign on the 15th.

[LoganBuck]

With Stanton and Guardado both now on the roster, the amount needed over slot will go to paying for the postgame spread. I know that was mean, but seriously we are talking pennies in baseball dollars. Spend $$$ on the talent.

Quick name the last three Reds drafted position players to make the majors: Chris Denorfia, Steven Smitherman, and Dane Sardinha

[Mario-Rijo]

The latest, it doesn't sound great.

http://http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.co...=.jsp&c_id=cin


8-10-07

More signings? Under new rules, Wednesday is the deadline for organizations to sign picks from the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. Cincinnati has already signed more than 30 of its 50 selections, including first-round pick Devin Mesoraco. Among the unsigned picks are first baseman Blake Stouffer (fourth round) and pitcher Evan Hildenbrandt (sixth round).

Chris Buckley, the team's senior scouting director, is optimistic that he could sign three or four more players.

"I'm hopeful," Buckley said. "If we don't, we still signed a good amount of players and feel good about what we did."

[dougdirt]

I would bet on at least Hildenbrandt being signed.

[fearofpopvol1]

I'd really like to see them get it done with Alexander and Hildenbrandt. O'Neill and Stouffer would be bonuses.

[Mario-Rijo]

Some insight to the deadline from Buster O:

The draft pick staredowns
posted: Saturday, August 11, 2007

About half of the first-round draft picks remain unsigned, and we don't yet know whether that's because teams are really going to honor a mandate from the commissioner's office, or because they feel the need to put on a big show of support before they ignore the arm-twisting in the last hours before the looming Aug. 15 deadline.

Some executives are betting on the latter. "Somebody is going to cave," said one club official. "Nobody wants to be the first across the line, but as soon as somebody steps across, everybody else will follow."

To review: The commissioner's office has put pressure on teams to adhere to its recommendations for signing bonuses for players taken in the first five rounds of the draft, and to date, only about half of the first-round picks have signed -- despite rumors of many pre-draft deals between teams and their picks. So it's conceivable that after Wednesday's deadline, there will be a whole lot of teams trying to explain to their respective fan bases why, at a time when the sport is thick in revenue, they couldn't sign their No. 1 draft picks.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays need pitching, selected Vanderbilt's David Price with the first pick, and he remains unsigned (although all indications are he will sign, as Marc Lancaster writes). The Orioles broke a decade-long boycott of high-profile Scott Boras clients and selected Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters -- a situation that has been inherited by new baseball operations honcho Andy MacPhail. The Tigers, among the most aggressive teams in doling out signing bonuses, selected high school right-hander Rick Porcello. It would get ugly for those teams, and for others, if they don't lock up these players.

But some officials think that what is occurring is a charade, and that teams are lined up and ready to make deals -- for prices higher than recommended by the commissioner's office -- on the last day. "I think there is some concern about being the team that breaks the logjam," said one official. "If the teams wait until the last day, they can all cross the line together."

The Mariners are aware of the deadline, and are negotiating, writes Larry Stone.

I would hate to be the GM that doesn't sign a 1st round pick, Wow! And if some of this doesn't pan out for teams, we are talking one crazy and messed up draft next year.

[dougdirt]

I would hate to be the GM that doesn't sign a 1st round pick, Wow! And if some of this doesn't pan out for teams, we are talking one crazy and messed up draft next year.

I think if baseball wants to put its foot down on overslotting signing bonuses then they need to implement a plan where a player is either going to sign for a set amount, or they are not going to sign at all. None of this, 'we recommend' stuff.

[camisadelgolf]

I like the idea of setting a cap at each slot.

[KoryMac5]

I think if baseball wants to put its foot down on overslotting signing bonuses then they need to implement a plan where a player is either going to sign for a set amount, or they are not going to sign at all. None of this, 'we recommend' stuff.

I would think that a plan of capping rookie salaries would work similiar to what the NBA had instituted a few years ago. The MLB union I doubt would have a problem with it since they have more of a vested interest in veteran ballplayers.

[texasdave]

Found this on a Texas Aggies message board for what it's worth:

BaylorBaseball
posted 6:45p, 08/13/07



Here's an update from the moderator on a pretty good Red Sox site that's been mentioned on here before:

amfox1
Moderator
Posts: 3329
(8/13/07 6:30 pm)
Reply

Re: 2007 Draft Signing Deadline Thread
(Updated 8/13, 6:30pm)

It's 2+ days before the signing deadline and 35 players in the first five rounds are unsigned. Last year, only four players in the first five rounds (and eight in the first eight rounds) went unsigned

.

12 first rounders are unsigned.
3 supp picks are unsigned.
3 second rounders (including Morris) are unsigned.
4 third rounders are unsigned.
7 fourth rounders are unsigned.
6 fifth rounders (including Middlebrooks) are unsigned.

Unsigned:
5 - TEX (expected to sign all but 4th rd'er Nash)

3 - MFY (expected to sign all)

2 - BOS (expected to sign 5th rd'er Middlebrooks but not 2nd rd'er Morris), TAM (expected to sign Price), BAL (expected to sign Wieters), DET (expected to sign Porcello), HOU, SF

1 - FLA (expected to sign Dominguez), ATL (not expected to sign 2nd rd'er Fields), PHI, WAS, CLE (not expected to sign 4th rd'er McFarland), KC (expected to sign Moustakas), CHC (expected to sign Vitters), CIN (expected to sign 4th rd'er Stouffer), STL, LAA, SEA (expected to sign Aumont), MIN, LAD, SD (not expected to sign 3rd rd'er Toledo), ARI (expected to sign Parker)

0 - TOR, NYM, CWS, MIL, PIT, OAK, COL

EDIT: signings are beginning to trickle in. Many more are expected - at least five (including Hunter Morris) are not expected to sign.

As noted elsewhere in this thread, if a team doesn't sign a pick in the first or second round, it gets a pick in essentially the same slot in the next draft. Unsigned third-round picks will merit a supplemental pick between the third and fourth rounds next year. Beyond the third round, there is no compensation for unsigned picks.
Expected supplemental picks:

Rd.2#14A - Atlanta (for Fields)
Rd.2#20A - Boston (for Morris)
Rd.3#31 - San Diego (for Toledo)

[fearofpopvol1]

Interesting stuff. Wasn't Stouffer originally not expected to sign?

1 more day. It should be interesting to see what happens. Anyone else know anything about the other unsigned picks at this point? Is Alexander still a longshot?