Porcello and Boras

by Tyler on Aug 14, 2007 12:15 AM EDT Comment 40 comments

Are geniuses! BA is reporting that he is in fact going to get his Josh Beckett deal plus inflation (at least a little). I'm amazed! It's reportedly a 7.7 million dollar ML deal. Good for him and good for the Tigers.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=198

As a Rays fan, I wonder what this will do to the Price negotiations? Probably not much, but he can easily argue he's better than Porcello and deserves at least a comparable deal.

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Good

I'm glad the Royals didn't give in to this. I'd NEVER give a HS player a major league deal.

by doublestix on Aug 14, 2007 12:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Worked out

for Delmon, and Beckett just fine. You have to trust your scouts. If he's going to get hurt, he's going to get hurt, nothing you can do about that. I'm sure their scouts are pretty sure he'll be in the big leagues within 4 years if he doesn't get hurt. And if that's the case, it makes financial sense to sign him to a ML deal. That way the bonus is spread out instead of a straight bonus.

by Tyler on Aug 14, 2007 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

And you lose your player when they are 26-28.

Bad, bad move. I predict the Tigres will regret this one,

by BlueEyesAustin on Aug 14, 2007 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm...

And they may re-sign him when he is 26-28. Who the heck knows. It's never a bad, bad move to sign one of the top 5 players in the draft with the 27th pick. And, with the World Series profits they made last year, consider this a treat to themselves...they can afford it.

by CW on Aug 14, 2007 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But

It didn't work out so great for Van Poppel.

Still, I'd never do it. Too risky for my liking. Especially with two great high school bats that can be signed for much cheaper available.

by doublestix on Aug 14, 2007 12:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who

were the great HS bats available at 27? The got the best player available. So what if it costs them 7 million bucks. 7 million is a mediocre starter these days for a shot at an ace.

by Tyler on Aug 14, 2007 12:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He might be referring to

the Royals passing him up at #2 for Moustakas (with Vitters as the other possibility). Although it looks like Moustakas is giving the Royals enough trouble as is.

http://mvn.com/milb-yankees/

by lemonjello on Aug 14, 2007 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

That is what I was referring to.

by doublestix on Aug 14, 2007 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hey stix

Your not on AIM so i'm letting you know your up...

by Metty5 on Aug 14, 2007 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly

plus its a one time $7 million dollar cost, and now they control him for a good long time and cheap.

I would much rather my team pay up for the top talent in the draft than pass for a more signable player.

That said, I dont think the Royals made a mistake. I just think that the Tigers didnt either. The Tigers got a top 2 or 3 player in the draft at 27. They have to be happy.

by grozzy on Aug 14, 2007 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Report

The Tigers will give Rick Porcello a four-year, $7.3 million contract before Wednesday's deadline to sign draft picks.

That's quite a sum. On merit alone, Porcello probably would have gone second or third in the 2007 draft. However, his expected bonus demands allowed him to fall to Detroit with the 27th pick. The high school right-hander has drawn comparisons to Josh Beckett.
Source: Booth Newspapers

by Havok1517 on Aug 14, 2007 1:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Response

Hard to complain about this one for the Tigers, even at the high price tag. If Porcello ends up being a #4 starter, he ends up saving the Tigers a lot of money. If he ends up being better than that, he's saving the Tigers a ton of money. If he ends up being a decent middle reliever, he's STILL going to save the Tigers a good chunk of money.

It really surprises me that nobody took Porcello before 27, even given the huge demands. I can understand some apprehension about giving a teenager $7+ million dollars, but it doesn't take much math to figure out that it's a surprisingly low risk deal considering the kid's talent.

by mrkupe on Aug 14, 2007 1:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Many teams had no choice

in my opinion, porcello wasn't going to sign for less then 6M.....this was not a dice-k bluff - porcello had another option.....

so did the smaller market teams have a choice hear? not really.....they could pay the 6M, but MLB would cut their portion of revenue sharing by at least that amount......what do the tigers care? MLB can get mad at them, but they can't money out of their pocket....gives them a huge advantage in situations like this

by Wheelhouse on Aug 14, 2007 8:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Response

I think we agree as far how much money Porcello wanted. Where we differ is that I actually believe these sorts of deals offer MORE benefit to small market teams than they do to large market teams. Think about it . . .the Yankees are going to spend their hundreds of millions regardless. If they need quality starters, then growing them through the farm system is preferable but not a necessity.

Small market teams simply do not have that option. The Royals put up $55M for Gil Meche, but it was pretty shocking when they did that, and they still need to find a way to fill the other 4 slots in their rotation. The draft ends up being one of their main avenues of acquiring top level talent.

The problem is that small market teams just haven't even begun to approach the level of aggressiveness in spending money on draft picks that they need to in order to be successful. A Porcello at $8M is a great piece, but obviously you need to diversify as well. The pessimist might say that a small market team can't afford to spend the money to sign 10 good draft prospects if 6 of them fail outright, 3 of them become okay players, and 1 of them becomes an above-average player/star. The smart businessman realizes that those 3 okay players and 1 above-average player are worth so much more than the money that was spent to sign the 10 guys combined, they'd have to be nuts not to sign THIRTY guys in such a manner.

If the draft system stays the way it is, eventually somebody is going to man up and take the upfront risk, and it's likely going to have a dramatic effect on how small market teams approach the draft.

Also, I wouldn't mind seeing your source about MLB cutting the revenue sharing take of teams who violate the slotting system. MLB is virtually powerless when it comes to penalizing teams for going over slot. With so many teams going over slot to sign their top picks, MLB is going to run into some serious problems if they even think about penalizing small market teams for doing things that large market teams have done without an issue for years. Quite frankly, it's a hornet's nest that I'm not sure they want to shake.

by mrkupe on Aug 14, 2007 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hope Rays were close with Price

I was told this is exactly the thing you don't want to happen. Porcello at 27 signs for perhaps more then the Rays were giving Price. Puts a lot of pressure on the Rays. It was explained to me that is the main reason teams aren't announcing their signings that are over slot until the deadline is almost up. Another part is obviously they don't want to listen to the MLB office more then they have to but that doesn't really matter.

by jfish26101 on Aug 14, 2007 1:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Price

From BA:

"Price, the Vanderbilt lefthander who was Baseball America's College Player of the Year and the consensus top prospect, always figured to exceed the top deals from the 2006 draft ($5.45 million to the Tigers' Andrew Miller, the seventh overall pick, and $5.25 million to the Royals' Luke Hochevar, the top choice). Price and agent Bo McKinnis reportedly were seeking a major league deal in the $8 million range, and Porcello's deal could push Price's worth closer to $10 million."

It's going to be a long night and day tomorrow for Bo McKinnis and Friedman/Hunsicker

by Tyler on Aug 14, 2007 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

whoa

thassalotta money.

by jpahk on Aug 14, 2007 1:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

HAHAHA

I'm sure this kid with a northeast workload is gonna be able to handle a major league workload in 3 years. What a bonehead move, plus all that money.

by PooNani on Aug 14, 2007 8:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

and

blame doesnt rest solely on detroit, so much for boras caring about his client's future

by PooNani on Aug 14, 2007 8:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

It's stunning to me how many posters above don't see the money is not really the issue...the ML CONTRACT is the issue.

I will eat my freaking hat if this kid is ready to compete at the ML level in 2010. He will have a very short minor league option year in 2007 with only two years to burn from high A ball through AAA.

by BlueEyesAustin on Aug 14, 2007 10:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm sure

He'll sign a 2008 contract. That way 2007 doesn't burn an option. Delmon signed the same thing. I can't see how else Detroit would have agreed to the deal.

Vice-Chairman of the Sonnanstine Underground Railroad

by Brickhaus on Aug 14, 2007 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I really think...

he can make the majors in 1.5 years. He's that good.

by templeUsox on Aug 14, 2007 10:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Sure

But the Tigres will be burning his ML service time at a point in his career when he could be learning the craft in AAA.

by BlueEyesAustin on Aug 14, 2007 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are you referring...

Well when the option is not having him or taking that risk, some times you need to make sacrifices.

by templeUsox on Aug 14, 2007 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

oho

da yaz strikes again! i have to confess, he's secretly my favorite poster on this message board. he never disappoints. and he lurks for just long enough that it's always a pleasant surprise to see him in action.

by jpahk on Aug 14, 2007 10:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

4th year

He will probably be eligible for a fourth option year.

by aCone419 on Aug 14, 2007 11:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How does that work?

Does it depend on when he reports to the minor leagues?

by BlueEyesAustin on Aug 14, 2007 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: How does that work?

http://prospectinsider.com/?p=61

"The Major League CBA states:

Contracts of Major League players who, prior to commencement of the current season, have been credited with less than five seasons in professional baseball... shall be eligible for a fourth optional assignment, without waivers, during that season.

In essence, it just means that a player entering his fourth or fifth pro season and has already been optioned out in three seasons, gets a fourth option."

by aCone419 on Aug 14, 2007 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hm

That looks like a grandfather clause to me. Can't see how it would apply to Moose.

by BlueEyesAustin on Aug 14, 2007 12:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Grandfather clause?

How so?

by aCone419 on Aug 14, 2007 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Because

It applies to players who were major league eligible (40-man roster) at the time the new CBA went into effect. Non major league players and future draftees would fall under the three-option rule.

by BlueEyesAustin on Aug 14, 2007 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hm?

Where does it say that?

by aCone419 on Aug 14, 2007 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Er....

"Contracts of Major League players who, prior to commencement of the current season, have been credited with less than five seasons..."

Seems straightforward to me....

by BlueEyesAustin on Aug 14, 2007 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Er...

Considering that the article is talking about Wlad next season, it strikes me that you are interpreting that in a highly awkward manner, and I don't think that is what the rule is saying at all. It makes much more sense to me to read that quote as referring to a player in any given season.

by aCone419 on Aug 14, 2007 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think this is a great deal

for the Red Sox. When they announce all their tough signs, selig will be to busy welling at the tigers.

by jbg3004 on Aug 14, 2007 2:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Tigers also sign

Crosby and Iorg for over slot value. Are they single handedly trying to bring down the slotting system or didnt they get the memo about slotting. Heres a link to the Crosby and Iorg signings:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=201

by tbach81 on Aug 14, 2007 2:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well considering they aren't enforceable

and you don't have to follow them, why wouldn't you go over slot if that is what it takes to sign someone and you are willing to pay that price?

NL West, Prepare to be Ledezmarized

by Grrranderson on Aug 14, 2007 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Now how

does this all work? Im kinda green on the new CBA about the whole slotting term. I know that all teams were supposed to follow a set of guide lines when negotiating with their draft picks. But how is this not collusion on the Owners and MLB? This isnt as bad as when Rock Raines and Andre Dawson were black balled but isnt slotting the same type of theory. I guess I just dont understand the intent of MLB to limit what a guy can make...

Also, I wasnt intending to be an ass about the Crosby and Iorg signings... I actually think more power to the Tigers for having the stones to sign their guys no matter what the "slot" says... If I ran a team Id do the same and I think with them announcing their singings their will be more to come very shortly

by tbach81 on Aug 14, 2007 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Repeat after me...

the MLB draft is a joke. The MLB draft is a joke.

Draft order means nothing when you can just demand the world and find a team that will pay it.... it's just like free agency if you ask me. I really hope that one day that baseball can somewhat emulate the NFL and NBA in the execution of their draft.

One observation: He's getting $1.6 mil or so more than Justin Upton did? If he's a better prospect than Upton I'll... wait, he's not. Great deal for the D-backs if you ask me...

"fortunately, scouts believe Gomez has enough tools to replace one of his appendages a la Edward Scissorhands" - bleedjaxblue, 7/5/07

by jc3 on Aug 14, 2007 3:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Let's get some perspective...

ARod got a $ 252 mil. contract
Manny got $ 160 mil.
Helton got $ 141 mil.
Soriano got $ 136 mil.
Zito git $ 126 mil.
Hampton got $ 120 mil.
Carlos Lee got $ 100 mil.

But, everybody has a problem with this kid getting $ 7 mil. ? What if he's a decent big leaguer in 2 or 3 years ? Detroit still has rights to him after the 4 years. He could end up a fixture in Detroit for many years and be a perennial All-Star.

7 mil. is a huge risk for this but Mike Hampton gets $ 120 mil. ? Ok. I'll risk 7.

by White Sox Randy on Aug 14, 2007 3:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs