Nick Franklin
Rumors

As expected, Nick Franklin, agreed to a $1.28M contract with the Seattle Mariners today. The commissioners office guideline for his draft slot, the 27th overall pick, is $1.161M.

The deadline to sign 2009 MLB draft picks is August 17th. For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.

Keith Law and Jason Churchill of espn.com had a big day of draft pick signing updates.

The deadline to sign 2009 MLB draft picks is August 17th. For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.

• The Yankees and Slade Heathcott are closing in on a $2M deal.
• Mike Leake has reached an agreement with the Reds. The 8th overall pick signed for $2.2M.
• The Reds have also signed the 43rd overall pick, Brad Boxberger for $857K
• Kyle Gibson and the Twins are about $1M apart in their contract negotiations.
• Catcher Wil Myers agreed to a $2M signing bonus with the Royals. Myers was a third-round selection.
• The Rays are not encourage about their chances of landing their first round pick, LeVon Washington. The second baseman is represented by Scott Boras who is likely dealing with his other clients: top 3 picks Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley and Donovan Tate.
• David Renfroe, the Red Sox third round pick, signed for $1.4M.
• The Rays reached an agreement with their second round draft pick, Todd Glaesmann, for $930K.
• Opinion is that the Rays will not be able to sign their second round pick, Kenny Diekroger.
• The Rays signed their fourth round pick, Luke Bailey, to a $750K signing bonus. Bailey was a big prospect until having Tommy John surgery in April. Fortunately, he projects as a catcher, professionally.
• Nick Franklin is expected to sign with the Mariners this weekend and was in Seattle taking a physical.
• Max Stassi, a fourth round pick, received an offer from the As that was "within the ballpark" according to his father.

Jason Churchill of espn.com has a TON of draft signing news to share

• While half of the 2008 first round signed before August 1st, only twelve have signed so far in 2009. For an update on the status of first round draft picks, click here.
• Major league baseball lowered their slot recommendations for 2009, but many players who are deemed "slot picks" (i.e., taken higher than they should have been simply so they'll sign for less) still are not signing because they're looking for 2008 money. Nick Franklin (#27 to Seattle) and LeVon Washington (#30 to Tampa Bay) are two candidates for this.
• Scott Boras, head of team-Stephen Strasburg, is still talking about a $50M contract for his client. That's still unlikely.
• Dustin Ackley, is looking for Mark Teixeira-money - a $9.5M signing bonus. The Mariners figure to offer him somewhere in between that and the industry standard of $6M.
• Donovan Tate has a slightly earlier deadline of August 15th, the day that UNC football players have to report to school. While everyone expects Tate to sign, he has expressed an interest in going back to UNC to play football.
• While most players have the leverage in negotiations, Aaron Crow does not because he's already held out once. He's currently asking for $3M, but the Royals are balking. Crow's only option is to hold out, go back to the Independent League and do the process all over again for another year. Seems unlikely, Crow went lower in the 2009 draft than 2008.
• The Yankees and Slade Heathcott are still not close.
• While he hasn't signed yet, Chad Jenkins figures to sign with Toronto eventually.
• The As and Max Stassi are "cautiously optimistic" about getting a deal done. Stassi was a 4th round draft pick.
• The Twins want to see Kyle Gibson throw before signing him to a contract. Gibson suffered a stress fracture in this throwing arm before the draft.
• While high schoolers Shelby Miller (#19 St. Louis) and Zach Wheeler (#6 San Francisco) are ultimately expected to sign, Jacob Turner (#9 Detroit), Tyler Matzek (#11 Colorado) and Matt Purke (#14 Texas) are far less certain. Matzek has been heavily rumored to be headed to Oregon for three years of college baseball.

The August 17th deadline to sign plays from the 2009 MLB Draft is fast approaching. We'll use this page to update the signing status of all the first round picks.

The deadline for players to sign is August 17, 2009

1. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals - Despite speculation that he would not signed, agreed to a $15M contract. (updated 8/17/09)
2. Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners - Agreed to a $7.5M signing bonus. (updated 8/17/09)
3. Donovan Tate, San Diego Padres - Instead of going back to UNC to play football, signed a contract with a 6.25M signing bonus (updated 8/17/09)
4. Tony Sanchez, Pittsburgh Pirates - Signed a well-publicized contract before the draft
5. Matt Hobgood, Baltimore Orioles - Signed a contract
6. Zach Wheeler, San Francisco Giant - Signed for $3.3M (updated 8/17/09)
7. Mike Minor, Atlanta Braves - Signed a contract with a record $2.42M signing bonus (updated 8/8/09)
8. Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds - Agreed to a $2.2M contract (updated 8/15/09)
9. Jacob Turner, Detroit Tigers - Received a Rick Porcello-like signing bonus of $5.5M (updated 8/17/09)
10. Drew Storen, Washington Nationals - Signed a contract
11. Tyler Matzek, Colorado Rockies - Rumors were that it would take a lot of money to keep Matzek away from Oregon: signed for $3.3M (updated 8/17/09)
12. Aaron Crow, Kansas City Royals - Agreed to a $3M contract with the Royals (updated 9/21/09)
13. Grant Green, Oakland As - Agreed to a $2.75M signing bonus (updated 8/15/09)
14. Matt Purke, Texas Rangers - Decided to go to college instead of signing with the Rangers (updated 8/17/09)
15. Alex White, Cleveland Indians - Got a bit less than Minor, $2.25M signing bonus (updated 8/17/09)
16. Bobby Borchering, Arizona Diamondbacks - Agreed to a contract with a $1.8M signing bonus (updated 8/15/09)
17. AJ Pollock, Arizona Diamondbacks - Signed a contract
18. Chad James, Florida Marlins - Agreed to a $1.7M contract (updated 8/15/09)
19. Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals - Inked a $2.875M signing bonus (updated 8/17/09).
20. Chad Jenkins, Toronto Blue Jays - Signed for $1.359M (updated 8/15/09)
21. Jiovanni Mier, Houston Astros - Signed a contract
22. Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins - Signed a $1.8M contract (updated 8/17/09)
23. Jared Mitchell, Chicago White Sox -Signed a contract
24. Randal Grichuk, Los Angeles Angels -Signed a contract
25. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels - Signed a contract
26. Eric Arnett, Milwaukee Brewers - Signed a contract
27. Nick Franklin, Seattle Mariners - Signed for $1.28M (updated 8/15/09)
28. Reymond Fuentes, Boston Red Sox - Signed a contract
29. Slade Heathcott, New York Yankees - Agreed to a $2.2M signing bonus (updated 8/17/09)
30. LeVon Washington, Tampa Bay Rays - Ultimately did not sign with the Rays (updated 8/17/09)
31. Brett Jackson, Chicago Cubs - Signed a contract
32. Tim Wheeler, Colorado Rockies - Signed a contract

Jon Heyman of si.com has a new post up with tons to discuss:

• The Yankees have inquired with Seattle about Jarrod Washburn who is, at present, unavailable.  Unless there are some plans to keep Washburn, I don't see why Seattle wouldn't at least listen.
• Bronson Arroyo has been bandied about as another option for the Yankees, but he's owed the rest of his $9.5M for 2009, $11M for 2010 and a $2M buyout for 2011 (no one is going to bring Arroyo back for $11M in 2011, the other choice).  There was some steam for this rumor earlier today, but it has since been denied. 
• The Dodgers are considering Cleveland's Cliff Lee.  Lee is owed the remainder of his $5.75M for 2009 and an acquiring team would have a $9M club option for 2010 or a $1M buyout.  That's a heckuva lot cheaper than Halladay and he might be easier to resign to a long-term deal anyway.
• The Red Sox keep getting thrown in as players for Roy Halladay, Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez.  All three are players who'd require a significant haul for their respective teams to move. 
• Despite receiving money from MLB to help make payments, the Rangers are not being restricted on adding payroll.  As such, they've been rumored to be interested in Halladay and Lee.  While the financial situation clouds everything, the Rangers are the team I think makes the most sense for Halladay to be moved to for the reasons I outlined when Halladay was initially known to be available.
• After last week's blockbuster trade for Matt Holliday, the Cardinals now have to work hard to extend the slugger.  Holliday's agent is Scott Boras, so that's a long shot.
• The Rockies are interested in finding a reliever.
• Nick Johnson and Josh Willingham were watched by the Giants this past weekend.  We got confirmation today that the Giants have a few bats on their wish list.

Keith Law of espn.com provided a reaction to the draft picks from Day 1 of the 2009 MLB Draft. For Day 2 analysis, click here.

Best picks of the first round

• Tyler Matzek, Colorado Rockies, #11 overall: He slid because of signability concerns and the Rockies benefited.
• Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals, #19 overall: Like Matzek, he fell because of contract demands.
• Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins, #20 overall: The stress fracture in Gibson's throwing arm scared many teams off, but so long as it heals, the Twins got a steal.

Worst picks of the first round

• Tony Sanchez, Pittsburgh Pirates, #4 overall: It's not that Sanchez is not a first round player, but the Pirates reached too high at #4. The reason was a pre-draft deal that saved the Pirates some money, but they passed on too much talent.
• Randal Grichuk, Los Angeles Angles, #24 overall: Not even in Law's Top 100
• Nick Franklin, Seattle Mariners, #27 overall: Franklin does not have much upside along with below average power and mediocre defense at best.

More Thoughts

• Law liked the Diamondbacks draft of Bobby Borchering and AJ Pollock in the first round and Matt Davidson, Chris Owings and Mike Belifore in the second and third rounds.
• The Cubs took low stat, high upside athletic guys Brett Jackson and DJ LeMahieu.
• Rex Brothers was a steal for the Rockies at #34.

Jason Churchill of espn.com gave us a few quick observations from the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft.

• Three high school pitchers indicated that they were going to demand large contracts and all three went in the first half of round one: Jacob Tuner, Tyler Matzek and Matt Purke.
• The best players available going into the sandwich round picks and the 2nd round are: Tanner Scheppers, James Paxton, Max Stassi and Wil Myers.  The next tier of players includes Tyler Skaggs, Rex Brothers, Tommy Joseph, Rich Poythress and Billy Bullock.
• Churuchill feels that the Rockies did well with their picks of Matzek and Tim Wheeler. 
• Randal Grichuk to the Angels and Nick Franklin to the Mariners, however, Churchill did not approve of. 
• Baltimore and San Francisco passing on Matzek, Shelby Miller and Aaron Crow was eyebrow raising.

Here's a review of the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft.

1. Washington Nationals - Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State University
2. Seattle Mariners - Dustin Ackley, OF, UNC
3. San Diego Padres - Donovan Tate, OF, Cartersville HS, GA
4. Pittsburgh Pirates - Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College
5. Baltimore Orioles - Matt Hobgood, RHP, Norco HS, CA
6. San Francisco Giants - Zach Wheeler, RHP, East Paulding HS, GA
7. Atlanta Braves - Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt
8. Cincinnati Reds - Mike Leake, RHP, Arizona State
9. Detroit Tigers - Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy, MO
10. Washington Nationals - Drew Storen, RHP, Stanford
11. Colorado Rockies - Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS, CA
12. Kansas City Royals - Aaron Crow, LHP, Fort Worth Cats
13. Oakland As - Grant Green, SS, USC
14. Texas Rangers - Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS, TX
15. Cleveland Indians - Alex White, RHP, UNC
16. Arizona Diamondbacks - Bobby Borchering, Bishop Verot HS, FL
17. Arizona Diamondbacks - AJ Pollock, OF, Notre Dame
18. Florida Marlins - Chad James, LHP, Yukon HS, OK
19. St. Louis Cardinals - Shelby Miller, RHP, Brownwood HS, TX
20. Toronto Blue Jays - Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State
21. Houston Astros - Jiovanni Mier, SS, Bonita HS, CA
22. Minnestoa Twins - Kyle Gibson, RHP, Missouri
23. Chicago White Sox - Jared Mitchell, CF, LSU
24. Los Angeles Angels - Randal Grichuk, LF, Lamar Cons HS, TX
25. Los Angeles Angels - Mike Trout, CF, Millville Sr. HS, NJ
26. Milwaukee Brewers - Eric Arnett, RHP, Indiana
27. Seattle Mariners - Nick Franklin, SS, Lake Brantley HS, FL
28. Boston Red Sox - Reymond Fuentes, CF, Fernando Callejo HS, CA
29. New York Yankees - Slade Heathcott, OF, Texas HS, TX
30. Tampa Bay Rays - LeVon Washington, 2B, Buchholz HS, FL
31. Chicago Cubs - Brett Jackson, CF, University of California - Berkeley
32. Colorado Rockies - Tim Wheeler, OF, Cal State - Sacramento

For picks 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20 and 21-26 click on the links.

8:17pm With the 27th pick of the 2009 MLB Draft the Seattle Mariners select Nick Franklin.  The Red Sox are on the clock.

8:18pm Baseball Rumors Mill Best Available: Tanner Scheppers, Rex Brothers, Tim Wheeler

8:19pm The Red Sox have been rumored to be interested in catchers Wil Myers and Max Stassi, but the Red Sox could be very excited to see Scheppers fall to them.  I think they'll pull the trigger on Scheppers.

8:20pm The Sox have also struggled on a few catcher picks recently, so they could be a bit gun shy on Myers and Stassi.

8:21pm With the 28th pick of the 2009 MLB Draft the Boston Red Sox select Reymond Fuentes.  The New York Yankees are on the clock.

8:23pm One of three prep high school outfielders who were expected to be gone by now (along with Mike Trout and Everett Williams).

8:24pm How far does Scheppers fall?  Is it a similar situation to Aaron Crow where he actually gets picked lower than he did in 2008 (2nd round)?  And what does both he and Crow falling mean to draft picks this year who may be considering holding out?  In 2009 at least it has not done Crow or Scheppers any good.

8:25pm With the 29th pick of the 2009 MLB Draft the New York Yankees select Slade Heathcott.  The Rays are now on the clock.

8:28pm Keith Law called the Angels pick of Randall Grichuk the "worst pick of the first round."  Ouch.

8:29pm Jason Churchill wasted no time calling the Mariners pick of Nick Franklin the second worst pick of the first round after Grichuk.

8:30pm With the 30th pick of the 2009 MLB Draft the Tampa Bay Rays select LeVon Washington.  The Chicago Cubs are now on the clock.

8:32pm I'll be curious what Law and Churchill have to say about this pick.

8:33pm A quick note here, Slade Heathcott was drafted as an outfielder, but a few scouts have already said his future could be as a pitcher.

8:35pm With the 31st pick of the 2009 MLB Draft the Chicago Cubs select Brett Jackson.  The Colorado Rockies are on the clock.

8:36pm Harold Reynolds tells us that this is his favorite player in the draft.

8:38pm Law and Churchill don't kill Tampa Bay's Washington pick.  Shows what I know.  however, apparently the Rays really wanted Fuentes who went to the Red Sox two picks earlier.

8:40pm With the 32nd and final pick of the first round the Colorado Rockies select Tim Wheeler.

The first round is complete and I think the story of the draft so far (besides Strasburg) is Tanner Scheppers and Aaron Crow falling as far as they did.  Both were considered Top 10 talents and while Crow didn't fall nearly as far as Scheppers has (so far) what I'm curious about is how this affects the 2009 draft picks and the threat of holding out.  If the 2008 holdouts do worse in 2009, what does that mean for anyone trying to hold out in 2009?