RINGOLSBY: Bonuses swell at finish line

Published August 17, 2007 at midnight

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After a summer of teams taking a hard line in negotiations with drafted players, the signing deadline came Wednesday night with a flurry of activity that undermined an effort to keep signing bonuses for amateur players from exploding.

Teams set the stage so that virtually no drafted player will sign a contract before the Aug. 15 signing deadline next year, figuring if they wait, the teams will blink.

Commissioner Bud Selig has some avenues to discipline teams. He has discretion on joint money received from marketing, radio and television. He also can take a hard line on the legality of contracts players signed and void any prearranged deals.

A prime example would be left-handed pitcher Casey Crosby of Maple Park, Ill., a fifth-round draft choice of Detroit. He was quoted in newspaper accounts at the time of the draft saying he had a deal for $750,000 but would have to wait until Aug. 15 because it was higher than the $150,000 slot money. He signed this week for $748,000.

Fourteen of the 30 first-round draft picks received bonuses in excess of slot, nine more than a year ago. The average signing bonus for the first round was $2,098,083, up from the $1,933,333 of a year ago. It's the second-highest average, behind the $2,106,793 of 2002.

The Yankees have long taken that approach. It wasn't a shock they went on an Aug. 15 spending spree that included signing No. 1 pick Andrew Brackman, a pitcher from North Carolina State, to a deal that guarantees him $4.55 million even though as negotiations were wrapping up, he was being examined by Dr. James Andrews with the expectation he will undergo reconstructive elbow surgery.

Baltimore provided the shock value with its last-minute decision to give Georgia Tech catcher Matt Weiters a straight bonus of $6 million, second-largest to the $6.1 million that Arizona gave Justin Upton. Upton's bonus was spread over five years because of claims he was a two-sport athlete.

The Tigers figure to be the team that is the focus of any action, having added to their recent history of thumbing their nose at Selig when it comes to draft picks.

Right-handed pitcher Rick Porcello's four-year big- league deal included a $3.58 million signing bonus, more than double the slot money for the 27th selection.

This is the fourth consecutive year Detroit has ignored the signing slot money, Porcello following Justin Verlander, Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.

In addition to Porcello and Crosby, the Tigers gave sixth- round pick Cale Iorg, who missed the past two seasons while serving on a Mormon mission, $1.5 million, compared with the $130,000 slot.

Overheard

• Right-hander Jose Contreras cleared waivers. His start today for the White Sox is an audition for teams desperate enough for pitching that they would take on the $20 million he is guaranteed for the next two years.

• Former Arizona manager and current Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly has made it known he'd be interested in the Cincinnati managerial job.

Readers' turn

Johan Smith writes, "Have you heard anyone discuss the idea of re-signing Jason Jennings after this year? We received a fortune for him with Willy Taveras, Jason Hirsh and Taylor Buchholz. That said, the main reason we traded him was because his asking price was far too high. He has had a disappointing year. The Astros have apparently cut off attempts to re-sign him for now. Given his success with the team, and the fact that we know he can succeed at Coors, will his asking price come down enough to make him affordable? I like the sound of Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook, Jennings, Jason Hirsh and Ubaldo Jimenez/ Franklin Morales as our starting five.

Johan, Jennings' name comes up frequently with the Rockies because he was a popular player and durable pitcher. If the Rockies were to sign Jennings, it would most likely be later in the offseason, after the market gets established and if the money Jennings has hoped for doesn't surface.

The Astros and Rockies had interest in three-year deals around $24 million, which wasn't enough, at the time, to get Jennings to pass on free agency.

For responses to other questions, or to ask your own question, check out the daily Rockies Pregame Report or the weekly Rockies Inbox at RockyMountain News.com/rockies.

Two cents' worth

Before too much is made of left-hander David Wells being a pitcher that might help a contender, take into consideration that any team that picks up Wells is facing seven games with a 24-man roster. Wells has a seven-game suspension on hold. If he signs with a team, he will have to serve the suspension.

MILE HIGH WATCH

• The Rockies are only in third place, but their homegrown plan is getting the attention of the rest of the National League West.

"They've been talking about their farm system for a number of years, but every organization talks about that," Padres manager Bud Black told The San Diego Union-Tribune. "They've done a nice job of developing players from within. The core of their team is homegrown. They've done a good job."

It's what the Padres would like to do, but they have only three players on the active roster who originally signed with the organization - right-handed pitchers Clay Hensley and Jake Peavy and shortstop Khalil Greene.

The Rockies have 13 homegrown players on their active roster - infielder/outfielder Jeff Baker, first baseman Todd Helton, infielder Clint Barmes, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, third baseman Garrett Atkins, outfielders Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Ryan Spilborghs and Cory Sullivan, third baseman Ian Stewart, left-hander Jeff Francis and right-handers Ubaldo Jimenez and Manny Corpas.

• Padres right-hander Greg Maddux, never a fan of Coors Field, said he is "impressed" with how the ballpark plays now that the humidor is being used - and not because the balls don't carry. Instead, because the baseballs are kept closer to suggested standards, the leather covers don't shrink.

The result is the seams on the baseball remain raised, which provides a pitcher with a better grip and allows him to throw breaking pitches.

"I'm impressed with the way it has worked," Maddux said.

• Arizona wasted $1.6 million trying to outsmart everybody else. That's the salary that remained on the contracts of former Rockies right-hander Byung-Hyun Kim and left-hander Joe Kennedy, whom the Diamondbacks claimed on waivers, thinking they were going to block possible waiver deals, then found themselves being awarded both pitchers.

A week after Kim and Kennedy arrived, the Diamondbacks dumped them.

ringolsbyt@RockyMountainNews.com

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