From the Wire … Cubs Sign First Round Pick Albert Almora

July 9, 2012 By 46 Comments

According to a report from Baseball America, the Cubs have come to terms with first round pick Albert Almora.

The Cubs selected Albert Almora with the sixth pick in the June draft. According to Baseball America, Almora will receive a $3.9 million signing bonus.

Updated 2:22pm CDT – According to David Kaplan, Albert Almora is taking his physical today along with Duane Underwood. With the money the Cubs saved with their other draft picks they were able to pay Albert Almora slightly more than the slot value of $3.25 million.

Updated 8:18pm CDT – According to Baseball America, the Cubs went $373,800 over their bonus pool budget of $7,933,900.

Stay Tuned …

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  • EqDoc

    3.9 million in the pocket of a high school kid…

    • WidespreadHisPanic

      Lol. I should have been a baseball player!

      • J Daniel

        Ya right, wouldn’t we all love to have been. Except, most of us couldn’t hit a curve!

        • Tom U

          Tonight’s minor league starters:

          Boise – Willengton Cruz (1-2, 4.26)
          Daytona – Robert Whitenack (0-3, 5.47)
          Tennessee – Dallas Beeler (3-6, 4.31)

          Iowa is off for All-Star break

          Peoria lost 4-3 to Cedar Rapids earlier today. Luis Liria gave up 3 ER in the 9th. Javier Baez and Wes Darvill each 2-for-4 with a HR.

          To answer gary3411 from yesterday:

          Mesa has a lot of prospects at 3rd and SS, with Ben Carhart, Jacob Rogers, David Bote, and Carlos Penaver all needing reps. I have no reports yet on Saunders’ defense, but getting his .500+ bat in the line-up would be a priority.

          I also talked to some friends at the Schaumburg Boomers yesterday about Tim Saunders. They said that his sample size is large enough to warrant a promotion. However, because he came from a Division III school, the Cubs are probably making sure he doesn’t get overwhelmed before moving him up.

        • http://theboardridersuite.wordpress.com/ Theboardrider

          Are you sayin’ a high school kid can’t hit a curveball?!!!!

          Sorry, I was trying to turn it into the Major League quote…

    • Tony_Hall

      It’s not like he is the first one…

    • Cubsholycow

      Minus the 8-10% commission to Scott Boras…..then there are the taxes under the Bush Tax Rate for millionaires….then we come into the commission of a money manager accountant that Almora needs to hire to watch over his small fortune….no doubt the Cubs will make Almora earn every penny of it out in the field.

  • ChadAudio

    Great news on the signing… glad to have that over with.

  • Aaron

    Ouch….was hoping they’d have more for late picks….at least it’s done though

    • cubtex

      Yea. I had a feeling he would go way over slot. At least they signed top 20 picks.

    • ChadAudio

      Aaron. How much would do you think they need for the late picks (I honestly don’t know)? I’m assuming $22k isn’t enough :)

      • Aaron

        they’d need a lot more. My understanding is that if players were signed for over $100k in later rounds, it’d come out of a team’s bonus pool, but now I’m hearing from elsewhere that even later round picks were assigned a value. So, who really knows?

        The guys I most wanted to see sign were Bonnell, Pannone, Wiseman, Hickman, and Tomscha.

        Realistically, Wiseman would only take first round type of money, so that was a pipe dream, but the others would’ve signed for less, or at least it appears that way if you followed their twitter feeds.

        • SuzyS

          Aaron, Regarding Hickman…I saw a rather cryptical comment on another site @ a month
          ago said they really hated Reinsdorf’s meddling with Hickman…I always wondered about that comment…and what it meant.
          Do you have any thoughts on this.
          Hickman seemed like he would have been a great prospect.

        • ChadAudio

          Interesting. Thanks Aaron.

    • J Daniel

      Be happy it was done! I know what you are saying but this is a huge signing. You didn’t think it would and if they know what they are doing he will turn out – but you never know with any pick how it will go but here is to hoping it is good.

      Also, did you bet the pizza?

      • Aaron

        I am happy it was done….

        as for your question, nope, the “boss” wouldn’t let me….something about baby food being more important right now…lol

        • J Daniel

          I hear you there. Hey, really enjoy your posts and insights. Don’t always agree but that is the beauty of any game.

          • http://theboardridersuite.wordpress.com/ Theboardrider

            Well said Daniel…

  • triple

    Great news!

  • Cloycub13

    Great job Theo & Co.
    Now we have some impact bats in the system: Vogelbach, Baez, Soler, Almora and a few more.
    Now it’s on to pitching pitching and more pitching. Via trade or via free agency.
    This is going to get really really fun really really soon.

    • cubtex

      What’s your definition of really really soon? All those players you mentioned are at least 3 years away.

      • Cloycub13

        Well, I am not saying that the big league team is going to be awesome in the next year or so, but one has to admit they have been more fun to watch. And what I was really referring to was the development of the minor league system into one of the top tier systems in the game. Once that happens and the pipeline begins to flow then we are talking. As you said, I am really looking at about 2014-2015 as far as contention. here is how I would like to see it go
        2012 – mediocre at best with the development of guys like Rizzo and Castro into cornerstones and stars.
        2013- Improvement! Push .500 and hang around into July.
        2014- Serious Division contenders with a potential to make noise in the playoffs.
        2015- World Series contenders.
        Look it can happen sooner, and in my humble opinion this season’s developments have been fun to watch. I have hope, realistic I think… but hope nonetheless.

        • Cloycub13

          Honestly
          3B-Baez
          SS-Castro
          2B-?
          1B-Rizzo
          C-?
          LF-Soler
          CF-Jackson
          Rf-Almora
          See it’s fun!

          • http://theboardridersuite.wordpress.com/ Theboardrider

            I’m getting a feeling Jackson may not ever pan out… Just my gut.

        • cubtex

          I agree. It is not fun to lose. It is nice to see Rizzo play now at the big league level. It will be fun to see some of the other prospects they aquire from trades get some playing time in 2nd half. It will be fun to see Vitters play 3rd base in Chicago. I think they still have only 2 players…..maybe 3 if you include Barney who will be starting in 2014. They have a long way to go!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Penrod/700030874 Jason Penrod

      Vogelbach plays 1B, so he won’t ever play for the Cubs, Baez will have to change positions as well, or find a new team.

      • Ripsnorter1

        Lots of stuff can happen. Rizzo can bomb out, get hurt, or even be traded. Ya never know in this league.

  • Brian

    Large deep dish, crumbled sausage and extra cheese!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/jim.canavan.14 Jim Canavan

    Hendry’s last draft + Theo’s first draft (Including the Soler signing) has this teams Minor league system on the upswing.

    • Tom U

      Make no mistake about it, last season Tim Wilken was in charge of the draft. The only thing Hendry had to do with it was signing the players.

      • http://www.facebook.com/jim.canavan.14 Jim Canavan

        Very true.

  • Tony_Hall

    This was never truly in doubt, as the options for Boras were limited. He was down to stomping his feet and holding his breath if he wanted more than that for Almora.

    Great pick and signing. I would love to see him go to Peoria this year, so I can catch watch him play a few times.

    • J Daniel

      You are correct and have been saying all along he would sign. Most of us agreed with you. Someone owes a pizza :) ! The system is set up now to favor the teams and there is less negotiating with the agents as the teams now hold the cards.

      Oh, the kids can go to school like they always had but there still is not going to be a huge payday when they decide to come out after JC or junior year. It really is to their advantage to sign now, get this money, and start moving to the next contract sooner.

    • J Daniel

      And not sure how active he would have been in that as well? TR was the one with the checkbook.

      • J Daniel

        Meant for Tom’s post.

    • Dorasaga

      The system now works well. There’s no win or loss. The player and family got their pay for working their talent up to par with the best of best. The ballclub signed a potential contributor to lure us to pay for the entertainment, and life, ah, we celebrate good sportsmen.

  • J Daniel

    What is the penalty for going over their bonus pool budget?

    • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

      Luxury tax of $280,300. Not a draft pick.

      • J Daniel

        Thanks. No problem giving up a little money as it is almost like paying over slot anyways, just not to the player.

  • Aaron

    this is awesome..Gausman and Appel to return to school=hilarious, especially for Appel, who is a Boras client.

    Gausman, I can somewhat understand his reasoning behind the move, but Appel, who wasn’t even a tremendous pitcher to begin with is absolutely laughable, and would serve him (and especially Boras) right to get picked in the 2nd round or later next year. As a college senior, he has absolutely NO leverage, and it will amount to a difference of several million dollars, considering he was in line for about $3 million this year, and as a senior, he’ll likely get only $1 million if not less. What team in their right mind would draft him in the top 10 again next year?!? Especially after the debacle with Boras this year, AND his numbers this year….it just doesn’t make any sense at all. And so that’s why I say it’d be hilarious if he doesn’t even get picked until the 2nd round or later next year.

    You know what’s really funny (well, actually it’s sad), is just about every player that Boras has advised to stiff teams in the draft have gone onto make even less the next time around for the draft…furthermore, a vast majority of them have had marginal numbers as pros as well. It blows my mind that teams even select Boras clients anymore. I would stay far away from them if possible. Yes, I understand that guys like Strasburg and Harper were once in a generation type of talents, and I’m not saying that I wouldn’t have taken them, but if you look at a vast majority of guys he represents, they’re nowhere near that type of talent, and yet he cons teams into spending their full budget on his guys…not just in the draft, but also free agency.

    speaking of free agency, look at all the crap-tastic players he’s gotten HUGE money for in recent years, with AROD topping the list, with the following guys also having bad numbers after signing huge deals under Boras:
    Lowe
    Drew
    Millwood
    M. Gonzalez
    Matsuzaka
    C. Pena
    M. Ramirez
    Beltran (albeit due to injury)
    Zito
    Werth
    Lohse
    Madson (albeit due to injury)
    ……I could go on and on

    When will teams learn?

    • J Daniel

      Great post – they can’t help themselves – the owners that is. Boras is a scum bag but he does his job well. He is a major reason this new system exists. Hope the kid doesn’t get hurt but hope he loses money. He is also another year away frrom a new contrat and more money.

      • Aaron

        The problem with Boras is really the future, based on comments he made. He clearly wants to stick it to MLB. While it’s true that the new agreement was forged with Boras in mind, it still gives him a tremendous amount of control, especially when teams are not allowed to use their allotment for not signing their first round pick on the rest of their picks. Even if MLB could give teams half of the allotment, it’d be enough of a deterent for Boras to think twice about advising his guys to hold out.

        For instance, what they should do in the future is this (using this year’s allotment):
        Cubs-$3.25 million. If they refused to go to nearly $4 million for Almora, they’d have $1.6 million to spend on the rest of their draft, PLUS, they’d get another selection in the first round of the next year’s draft.

        But the way it stands right now, this draft is going to be an absolute disaster (and that’s the way Boras wants it if you read between the tea leaves). Other agents are going to follow Boras’ lead, and have their first rounders sign at the very last minute, thus squeezing every amount possible out of the selecting team. If everyone around Boras’ selections are signing for $1-2 million, Boras will advise his clients to sign for $3+ million….even if they’re selected between those bonus allotments. It’s just the way the guy is wired, and by all means, if teams are willing to meet those demands, then shame on them for not setting boundaries.

        I just think it’s absolutely laughable that Boras bemoans the consequences of the system he invented (MLB deals, over-slot money, etc.) The deals just kept getting more and more ridiculous. It’s even more ridiculous when you see the type of contracts he gets for his free agents where he gets them $100+million deals, PLUS milestone bonuses, suites for family members at home, and suites in hotels on the road, etc. Those are honestly things he holds out for, and you’re left thinking to yourself, “really?!?! With $100 million contract, player XYZ can’t afford his own damn suite and tickets?!?!?”

        Boras bemoans the fact that the draft has been made into “a mockery” as he called it, but the ironic thing is, HE MADE IT INTO ONE IN THE FIRST PLACE with ridiculous bonuses and demands for 17-21 year olds that hand’t played a day of pro ball in their lives.

        Once again, I’m not faulting Boras completely, considering teams were willing to meet his demands, but I am faulting the guy for bitching about the system being a mockery when he made it into one to begin with

        • SuzyS

          Yes, While many will argue with me and say Boras is just doing his job…I’ve always thought he was a bane (detriment) to the game. In many ways, he is as influential (in a bad way) as the Curt Flood decision was.

          • paulcatanese

            I wont argue with you Suzie, as I agree 100%
            with you and Aaron.

          • triple

            The Boras discussion is funny to me because just yesterday I was thinking about the Almora/Boras combination and starting to worry a little that we would not get Almora signed. Then as I read more articles about Appel, I realized there was much more info about Appel’s possibility of not signing and how next year’s draft class will be much more stacked with better prospects so it actually benefitted the Pirates knowing they can get the 9th pick in 2013. And that Appel would stand to fall back even further in next years draft. After reading this stuff, I figured Boras would have to get Almora signed with the Cubs or no top prospects will want to be represented by him. Regardless, I can’t see how Boras is looking out for his client’s best interests more than his own and I hope current and future ballplayers are taking notice. I still think Boras will have to cave in and just sign for the $3.8 mil that Pirates can spend on Appel, and if he doesn’t, I hope Appel has the guts to fire his agent by Friday and get a deal done himself. If he got injured next year in college he’d be finished and only have Scotty B. to blame.

    • BosephHeyden

      Yeah, Boras is pretty bad. On the flipside, though, I can appreciate Gausman wanting to go back to LSU. If he went to the O’s, he’d be a pitching prospect on a team that, yeah, is doing pretty well and seems to be developing into a team that will be a perennial contender (now that there’s two Wild Cards, anyways), but he’d be years away from getting to the majors. But at LSU, he has the ability to finalize a legacy for himself, so that if he winds up flopping in pro ball, he can look back to LSU, see what he did there, and, worst case scenario, he’s got a coaching spot available to him down the road.

      Ever since the draft opened up, we kept hearing that Appel was slipping through the draft because Boras was trying to get him to fall to a specific team, and this kinda solidifies that theory. But with Gausman, his motivation for turning down a spot in the pros is to help his other team achieve greatness. Admirable, selfless, and I wish the kid the best.