What if when the signing deadline passes, Mark Appel did not sign and Lucas Giolito does?
It would not surprise me to see Mark Appel being offered slot or a little more and not signing. I think it would be a poor career decision but it could happen. The Pirates could then get a comp pick next year, having more flexibility to be creative while spending a few extra dollars this year on Kevin Ross and Tyler Gaffney or taking all their extra cash and sign Walker Buehler from Vanderbilt. That could be an interesting scenario.
Washington has made a habit of taking the top talent and paying them the last few seasons. They could be the one team to sign a player that would send them into the penalty range while they have publicly stated they will not. Since they could be taking a player in the 20's next year, they wouldn't be losing an elite pick while getting the pre-season top rated player this year. If they do that, they could acquire a lottery compensation pick from one of the winning teams, for a lower level prospect and replace that top pick. They would only get half of that picks cap value though, I believe, but they could still get a 1st round type of talent there if they would go after seniors later in the top 10 rounds. It could set a precedent on what to do if a top talent slides to a good team.
Just one way this could work out. What interesting stories do you see developing?
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