There seems to be no end to this story, with things changing all the time. Media all over the country are writing and talking about it. Here's the latest, as I understand it, both in terms of what's being reported and what I've been able to ascertain.

The Pittsburgh-Post Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic reported earlier today that, according to his source, "The Pirates' disputed contract agreement with Pedro Alvarez will be the primary focus -- and not that of any other player -- of the Major League Baseball Players Association's grievance with commissioner Bud Selig's office." The story goes on to say that the union will contend that the Alvarez agreement is the only one in question and that there are phone records to show a call coming in to Scott Boras' office at 12:02 a.m.

Here's my main question with that. If that is indeed the case, how come the Commissioner's Office has pulled Eric Hosmer off the field until the matter is settled in that Sept. 10 hearing, as reported by MLB.com's Dick Kaegel? Maybe the Commissioner's Office is just doing due diligence, but would it really be necessary to keep the kid from playing if the grievance only mentioned Alvarez? In fact, an unnamed source refutes the Post-Gazette story, saying the grievance filed by the Players Association does not center only around Alvarez.

I've received a copy of the Notice of Grievance, sent from the Players' Association to Rob Manfred, the Executive Vice President of Labor Relations and Human Resources for Major League Baseball. The memo, dated August 27, 2008 with a subject titled, "Grievance No. 2008-11 (August 15 deadline)" is signed by Michael S. Weiner, General Counsel for the MLBPA. While this two-page memo doesn't directly contradict the Post-Gazette report, there is no mention of a specific agreement or club in the document. The second paragraph reads:

The Commissioner's Office, without notice to the MLBPA, unilaterally determined to permit Clubs to negotiate with drafted players after the August 15, 2008 deadline, and unilaterally determined to accept agreements by Clubs after the August 15, 2008 deadline.

I've added the bold-face to point out that it's all plurals the grievance refers to. Again, not the be-all, end-all in this, but it didn't claim there was permission to a Club -- it was Clubs. It was more than one agreement, according to the grievance. I think you see what point I'm trying to make. To me, that combined with the fact that Hosmer can't suit up, means this isn't just about Pedro Alvarez at this point.

Some other things to chew on:

Kovacevic has a really interesting piece on the bad blood between Scott Boras and Pirates president Frank Coonelly. One of the more intriguing things I took from it is the possibility of Boras still lingering over the fact the Pirates -- albeit under other management -- dismissed his client Matt Wieters in the previous year's draft. Don't know for sure how much of that figures into all of this mess, but you never know.

In terms of the implications that much of this stems over the Boras Corp. being steamed that Buster Posey -- and the agency who represents him, CAA -- got more money than Alvarez did, here's some food for thought.

• Someone in the industry told me that both Pedro Alvarez and Buster Posey had CAA and Boras Corp as their final two choices for representation. That's been somewhat refuted in that someone else informed me Posey never met with a representative from Boras Corp in person. Could that add fuel to this fire, that Posey got more money -- with Jeff Berry and CAA advising him -- than Alvarez and wouldn't even let Boras in the door to talk pre-draft?
• White Sox pitcher John Danks and his younger brother Jordan, fired Boras Corp after the first day of the draft this June, as reported by Scott Merkin on MLB.com (and other places). The younger Danks was drafted in the seventh round (day 2) of the draft and the University of Texas outfielder ended up signing for an above-slot deal, while being represented by... you guessed it, Jeff Berry and CAA. No reasons were given for the Danks-Boras split at the time, but I've learned that it stems from the Dankses learning Boras turned down money -- that would have seen Jordan get selected in the first day of the draft -- without checking in with his advisee.
  

This thing is far from done, folks. Hang tight, I'm sure there'll be a lot more to come

We recently posted a story written by myself and Pirates.com writer Jen Langosch with more details about the Alvarez-Boras-Pirates saga. Rather than sum it up here, I suggest you go and read it. It breaks down what both sides say happened up to and immediately following the signing deadline. I think there's going to be a lot more coming out about this as the Sept. 10 date for the hearing approaches.

I've been trying to wait to post something on this until I could better understand what exactly was going on. Right now, it seems to be a situation of the more you find out, the less you know or the more confusing it gets. But here's the deal as I understand it as of right now:

You can read the story about what's going on officially at this point here. It's also worth reading Pirates president Frank Coonelly's full statement on the matter. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, No. 2 pick Pedro Alvarez has been put on the restricted list at the request of the Pirates. Coonelly's statement says, "The Pirates were forced to request that Pedro be placed on the Restricted List because we were informed by his agent, Scott Boras, that Pedro will not sign the contract to which he agreed on August 15. Boras further informed us that Pedro will not report to the Club unless we renegotiate his contract and agree to pay him more than the $6 million signing bonus to which he agreed."

Scott Boras, for his part, has referred us to the Players' Association, saying it is their grievance and not his. The contention is that the agreement was made after the midnight deadline, something Mr. Coonelly flatly denied.  It seems fairly clear, both in the statement and in other information I have gathered that the original deal (whether it was pre- or post-deadline) was actually hammered out between the Pirates and Pedro Alvarez (and his family) directly, without the benefit of Mr. Boras' counsel. There has been a parallel made to the drafting of Alex Rodriguez in 1993. According to Baseball America, "Rodriguez signed with the Mariners shortly before going to class at the University of Miami in late August, and on Oct. 14, Boras submitted a grievance, backed by the union, that the Mariners didn't make clear the terms of the contract he signed. The grievance asked that Rodriguez should be allowed to renegotiate his contract or void it and become a free agent."

There have been some rumors and reports of deals being consummated after the deadline, most notably the one between the No. 3 pick Eric Hosmer (also a Boras client) and the Kansas City Royals. The biggest difference, of course, is that Hosmer signed his contract and has already begun his pro career, while Alvarez has yet to sign on the dotted line.

Here's how the process seems to work in these down-to-the-wire cases. The two sides come to a verbal agreement on a net value for the deal. Using the Alvarez case as the example, that value was $6 million. By 11:59 p.m., both sides notify the Commissioner's Office a deal has been struck for that amount. After midnight, it's fairly common for some of the smaller details to be ironed out -- things like when/where the physical will take place, smaller benefits like college tuition (if it's applicable), etc.

It's become apparent that there have been instances when negotiations have indeed extended past midnight. The Rangers evidently negotiated with outfielder Julio Borbon, also a Boras client, past midnight at last year's deadline. That wasn't brought to light, it seems, because Mr. Boras liked the terms of that agreement, which included a big-league contract. With this situation (see below), it appears he is not pleased with the outcome.

There are a few big questions that still need to be answered:

1. Is that pre-deadline verbal agreement legally binding? The  Collective Bargaining Agreement did not expressly state that a written agreement was needed when it was ratified in 2006. Since that time, the Commissioner's Office released a bulletin that said an email or fax had to be sent to the Commissioner's Office by the deadline. This correspondence would come only from the club after the club had reached a verbal agreement with the player and/or his agent. If Alvarez claimed he never agreed to a deal, then this case could head straight to court. But he's not arguing that, but rather that the negotations extended past the deadline. It's possible it could be argued that the verbal agreement, since it's the usual course of conduct  and has always served as binding in past practice, is then legal. But you have to wonder that if a written contract is not signed by a certain time -- even if it's because the player has stalled the process -- then maybe all bets are off. 

2. Can such a deal actually be re-negotiated? There seems to be a paradox within all of this. If the contention is that the deal was agreed to after the deadline, that would make it void, right? If it's void, what is there to be re-negotiated? My guess is that even though Mr. Boras has removed himself from the proceedings currently by pointing all inquiries to the Players' Association, a certain search for new loopholes is taking place. If this grievance ends up carrying weight, a new avenue for re-negotiating contracts would now exist.

3. Why has Pedro Alvarez decided to go this route? According to the statement from Mr. Coonelly, "Mr. Boras refused to engage in any negotiations at all until shortly before the August 15 deadline and even then an agreement was reached only after Pedro took control of the negotiations." If Pedro stepped in and got this done, seemingly showing that he's his own man and wanted to get going on his pro career, what has caused this seeming change of direction? The source cited in the story says that it might be over $200,000, an amount that would put Alvarez on par with Buster Posey and his deal -- the biggest in the draft -- with the Giants at No. 5. I've had several people -- and none directly involved in this situation -- strongly imply that this sounds a lot like the Boras Corp. being ticked off about being bested by Posey's agency, CAA. If that's the case, how did Alvarez, after making a strong stand by taking over negotiations, allow himself to get caught up in such pettiness?

4. What happens now? The Players' Association has filed a grievance, which starts out by saying, "The Major League Baseball Players Association today filed a Grievance challenging the unilateral decision of the Commissioner's Office to extend the August 15, 2008 signing deadline for drafted players.  The Association and the Commissioner's Office have agreed to expedited processing of this Grievance, with the intention of bringing the matter to hearing as early as September 10, 2008." The main bone of contention is not so much that an extension was given -- and I've received no confirmation that it was --  but rather that the Players Association wasn't informed of an extension as required by the CBA.

6:30 p.m. ET Here's an official statement from Major League Baseball, courtesy of Pat Courney, VP of Communications. The statement comes from Rob Manfred, Executive Vice President, Labor Relations and Human Resources:

"We believe the grievance is entirely without merit.  The deadline was extended to accept minor league contracts voluntarily entered into by the clubs and the players with the help of their agents.  It is settled law that the arbitration panel has no authority to disturb such minor league contracts."

Whether this could lead to a re-negotiation, Alvarez becoming a free agent or going back into the draft class a la Aaron Crow, remains to be seen. I think we're just getting started here and I'll be sure to be back with any information as I get it.

I have to give Jamey Newberg at The Newberg Report credit for getting this going, as he posted the draft order "as of now" a few days back. As of this moment, it would look like this:

1. Washington 44 82 .349
2. Seattle 46 79 .369
3. San Diego 48 77 .384
4. San Francisco 53 72 .432
5. Cincinnati 55 71 .437
6. Kansas City 55 70 .440
7. Atlanta 56 70 .444
8. Pittsburgh 57 69 .452
9. Oakland 57 69 .452
9a. Washington (comp pick for failure to sign Aaron Crow)
10. Colorado 58 69 .457
11. Cleveland 57 67 .460
12. Baltimore 60 65 .480
13. Texas 62 65 .488
14. Detroit 62 64 .492
15. Houston 64 62 .508
16. Dodgers 64 61 .512
17. Florida 65 61 .516
18. Toronto 65 60 .520
19. Arizona 65 60 .520
20. Yankees 66 59 .528
21. Philadelphia 67 58 .536
22. St. Louis 70 58 .547
23. Mets 69 57 .548
24. Milwaukee 70 55 .567
25. Minnesota 72 54 .571
26. White Sox 72 53 .576
27. Boston 73 53 .579
28. Angels 76 48 .613
28a. Yankees (comp pick for failure to sign Gerrit Cole)
29. Cubs 77 48 .615
30. Tampa Bay 77 48 .616

This doesn't take into account tie-breakers, future free agent signings or the fact the Mariners could get an extra pick (20a) if they don't sign Josh Fields, but they have until next year right before the draft to get that one done. I'll try to update this one from time to time...

Well, that's about all she wrote, folks. In the end, three first-rounders not signed (Josh Fields still can get done, though). To me, what has struck me the most is that most teams appeared to hold their ground. Yes, players got well above-slot in many instances, but considering what some of the demands were at one point in time (Aaron Crow being the exception -- and don't necessarily believe those reports that they were THAT close), I think this was a success for the organizations. First off, teams took who they wanted, when they wanted  (Pittsburgh with Alvarez, KC with Hosmer, San Francisco with Posey and on down), regardless of those demands. And then, they really didn't blink.

The biggest case of that is the big-league contract. Or the lack thereof. In the top 10, only LHP Brian Matusz and 1B Yonder Alonso got Major League deals. Alvarez and Posey, in particular, are the ones that jumped out at me as surprises. Yes, I know, they got $6 million or more -- how will they ever survive -- but to not have to put these guys on 40-man rosters right from the get-go gives these organizations much great flexibility in terms of how long they'll have these players under control. And while $6 million and the other bonuses are nothing to sneeze at, considering we were talking "Mark Teixeira money" for some (Alvarez), $7 million and big-league deal for others (Alonso), even $10 million for Posey early on, I think those teams did well to get their deals done. But that's just my two cents worth and I'm sure agents can claim victory based on the large bonuses they delivered. Hey, maybe it's a win-win?

I've got some catching up to do here, with 2009 reports on the Area Code Games, AFLAC and the Baseball Factory (UnderArmour All-American) game at Wrigley Field, not to mention Cape League updates, etc. So check back here in about a week for a head start on next year's draft...

As I mentioned here earlier (Thursday? who knows at this point), Hosmer did get a higher bonus than Mike Moustakas. Sources tell me it was a $6 million deal for the Florida prep star.

The Royals got their guy. Terms not disclosed, but deal was reached prior to the deadline and they two sides had to work out some details...

It's official -- the Pirates have signed Pedro Alvarez. According to sources, the deal was for $6 million bonus, but without a Major League contract...wow!

By now you know this, but I'm killing time waiting to hear on Alvarez and Hosmer...

It's 25 minutes past the deadline, and still no definitive word on the No. 2 and 3 picks in the draft... crazy stuff, no?

I've just learned the Washington Nationals did not sign RHP Aaron Crow. They did, however, come to terms with 15th rounder J.P. Ramirez. I'm told they are very happy with their draft and the scouting staff is already dreaming about having two top-10 picks in 2009.

BA is reporting deal is for $3.5 million...confirmed by our own. T.R. Sullivan

As reported over on BA, Allan Dykstra has indeed signed with the Padres. They reported it was for $1.15 mil, below what at one point I had heard was offered by the organization. Guess the medical reports cut the price down some...

Still trying to find out about Alvarez and Hosmer in particular...

TR Sullivan, our fine Rangers reporter, let me know the Rangers got Smoak done without giving him a big-league deal...

Isn't going to happen tonight... they have until next may.

Still waiting on Alvarez, Hosmer, crow and Dykstra...

I've just learned that the Giants have a done deal with No. 5 pick Buster Posey. Again, details to come, but expect a big-league deal...

The domino effect is indeed happening. Justin Smoak has officially signed... details to come...

It is indeed a Major League deal and it's for $4.5 million. Well, heard it's $4 mil and "some perks," but you get the idea...

The Reds and Yonder Alonso have come to terms. Details forthcoming -- Baseball America reporting a Major League deal is part of it ... could this pave the way for Smoak?

Don't get too crazy, it's Yankees' supplemental first-rounder Jeremy Bleich. I'm not breaking this story, but wanted to pass it along. I do know the bonus was for $700,000... closing in on a half-hour...

The latest news on this one is that there's a deal basically in place, but it won't be officially announced until midnight ET. Rumor I've heard is that it'll be something like $6.75 million and a big-league deal. At the same time, I'm hearing that the report is definitively not true. Go figure...

Could that free things up for the college bats behind Posey to get done? Perhaps. Buzz was that Yonder Alonso had come down from his early high demands in recent hours and even if the previously reported Smoak rumor isn't wholly accurate, if Alonso gets done, then Smoak will as well.

The main issue is that the Alonso and perhaps the Smoak camps were looking for money similar to what Posey was getting. But as first basemen, do they have a leg to stand on? Posey plays a premium position, Alonso and Smoak do not, and you can bet the Reds and Rangers will point that out as they continue to try to hammer it out.

Oops, somehow managed to forget No. 9 pick Aaron Crow. It's always hard to know what's posturing and what's actually going on, but things appear to be at a stalemate right now. Here's the issue as I understand it: The Nats don't want to go above -- or far above slot -- with this pick. The Crow camp (the Hendricks Brothers) feel he deserves more than that and made it clear prior to the draft (there were rumors to this effect on draft day) that they did not want to stay within the slotting system. As a result, there's no deal as of now and with time running short, it might not happen at all.

Not a whole lot of movement going on with the remaining first rounders, but here's what I've been hearing:

No. 2 Pedro Alvarez: Nothing doing there right now. Last I heard was Boras/Alvarez was looking for Teixeira money (close to $10 mil and a big-league deal) and, well, the Bucs weren't budging, perhaps setting a ceiling of $8 mil.

No. 3 Eric Hosmer: Nothing new here than what I reported recently. Royals still feel it'll get done and it's looking like it'll be north of what Mike Moustakas got last year ($4 mil). How far north remains to be seen, and whether ownership will OK it is another issue.

No. 5 Buster Posey: Still no official deal on the FSU catcher. Not sure on the hold up, but it's causing some other logjams...

No. 7 Yonder Alonso: This one is being held up by the Giants and Posey.

No. 11 Justin Smoak:  This might be the next one to become official. Word was a deal between Smoak and the Rangers was imminent, that it would be north of $3 million and would likely include a big-league deal. Rangers said no such deal is forthcoming, but we'll see...

No. 20 Josh Fields: Nothing here, but as I mentioned, not as much pressure as the M's would control his rights for longer.

No. 23 Allan Dykstra: Injury + Boras= bad news. This is the one guy I'd say won't sign by deadline time.

No. 28: Gerrit Cole: Yankees said this isn't going to happen. Why don't I trust that 100 %

Happens every year and this one is no exception. I've reported on some earlier, but as we get close to the deadline, a bunch more are getting done. Here are some of the interesting ones:

Second Round

Tampa -- Kyle Lobstein for $1.5 million
San Diego -- James Darnell for $740,000
Cleveland -- Curtis Haley for $1.25 million

Fourth Round

Kansas City -- Tim Melville for $1.25 million
Boston -- Peter Hissey for $1 million

Fifth Round

Cleveland -- Zach Putnam for $600,000
Boston -- Ryan Westmoreland for $1.6 million

Sixth Round

Pittsburgh -- Robbie Grossman for $1 million
Minnesota -- Brett Hermsen for $650,000

Seventh Round

Chicago -- Jordan Danks for $525,000


We'll get a better sense of what that means when the dust settles, but the first thing that jumps out at me is that the Pirates gave $1 mil to their sixth-rounder and $900,000 to their 20th-round pick (Quinton Miller). Could that be a sign to Pedro Alvarez and the Boras Corp that they're ready to spend their money elsewhere? Less than three hours to have that one answered.

OK, folks. Who's ready for the next few hours? We've got just over three and a half of them until the deadline. With Brian Matusz coming to terms with the Orioles, that leaves us with nine unsigned first rounders:

2. Pedro Alvarez
3. Eric Hosmer
5. Buster Posey
7. Yonder Alonso
9. Aaron Crow
11. Justin Smoak
20. Josh Fields
23. Allan Dykstra
28. Gerrit Cole

I'll be here right up until the deadline as we get up to midnight ET. Have fun everyone -- and leave comments if you've got things to say.

There were early reports by the San Jose Mercury News that Buster Posey and the Giants had all but officially agreed on a Major League deal worth $7.5 million. Not so, say the Giants. At least, not yet. "Stories reporting that we have signed Buster Posey are inaccurate. Negotiations are ongoing," said Bobby Evans, Giants director of player personnel.

A few notes before I call it a night (I'll be back on tomorrow night right up until the deadline):

On the first round front:

• There were reports the O's were about to sign No. 4 overall pick Brian Matusz to a deal worth $3.1 million (plus a big-league deal). While I've learned it's close, nothing is done and the figures being reported are not what's being discussed currently.
• Who knows what's going on with Josh Fields and the Mariners -- it's amazing to consider (despite my earlier reported theory) that the college senior hasn't signed. I've learned that the Mariners have offered something in the vicinity of a $1.5 million, which would slot in nicely at that spot.
• There have been a lot of reports on the double-trouble of the Boras factor and an injury with Allan Dykstra, the No. 23 pick. At one point in time, the Padres have offered a $1.4 million bonus, though I'm not sure that's still on the table.
  

One last later-round note. Tim Melville was expected to be a first-rounder heading into this past season, but some early subpar efforts and a college commitment led him to slide to the Royals in the fourth round. There's nothing official to report here yet, but don't be surprised to see Melville become a Royal tomorrow at some point.

A couple of things I'm hearing...

The San Jose-Mercury News was reporting that No. 5 pick Buster Posey was on the cusp of signing a deal worth a reported $7.5 million. No confirmation as of yet -- Giants are being tight-lipped -- but if I find anything out to confirm this, I'll pass it along.

Things are looking dicey with No. 7 pick Yonder Alonso and the Cincinnati Reds. The Cincy Enquirer talked to Alonso, and he said he's not budging on his initial contract demainds -- $7 million and a big-league contract. I've learned the Reds aren't budging right now either from their "final" offer. Not sure exactly what that is, but one guess was that it was about $500,000 above slot for that position. No. 6 pick Kyle Skipworth got $2.3 million and No. 8 pick Gordon Beckham signed yesterday at $2.6 million. I'm no mathmetician, but that can't be much more than $3 mil or so -- not even close to Alonso's asking price.

No. 9 pick Aaron Crow has signed with the indy-league Fort Worth Cats. The two sides seem far apart on this one.

The Mariners don't have the same pressure to sign No. 20 pick Josh Fields that other teams do. Frankly, I didn't realize this until recently, but because Fields is a senior, the Mariners actually have until next spring (before the next draft) to sign him. He can't go back to school. One interesting theory is that Fields' advisor Scott Boras is trying to drive up the price for Fields to make more money for his unsigned juniors (Alvarez and Dykstra now, others in the future). The idea is that if he can get more money for Fields, a senior, then using the threat of sending his junior clients back to school for their senior year has more credibility. Just a theory, but makes some sense, no?

More later on...

Getting close to the deadline now, so I'll try to throw up some updates as I get them...

Expect the Royals to come to terms with their top pick Eric Hosmer, but don't expect too soon before the deadline. They've been through this before, and last year's negotations with high school hitter Mike Moustakas is particularly similar. Don't be surprised if Hosmer signs for a bonus figure north of Moustakas' $4 million...

No, the Giants signing isn't Buster Posey. I think all those college bats up top are waiting to hear what the Pirates and Pedro Alvarez are planning... Word is they've come to terms with fourth-rounder Brandon Crawford. The UCLA product was once thought to be one of the better college shortstops, but a poor Cape season last summer lead to a subpar junior season, sliding him to the fourth round. No confirmation on the bonus amount, but a source told me it was in the $375,000 range.

While most of the attention will be on the big names at the top of the draft board (11 first-rounders are still unsigned), there will also be some interesting signings in the later rounds, guys lured away from college commitments by above-slot bonus deals. Case in point: JC Sulbaran.

One of the seemingly endless draftees from American Heritage High School (OK, 4 -- Eric Hosmer, Adrian Nieto, Sulbaran and Joe Belviso), Sulbaran was taken in the 30th round by the Cincinnati Reds. He's got a pretty strong commitment to Florida, but it now seems unlikely he'll head to campus. Instead, it's looking like the Reds and Sulbaran are very close to agreeing on a deal well above-slot. Stay tuned for the official word on that one in the not-too-distant future. Sulbaran is currently in China pitching for the Netherlands' Olympic team.

Told you, I'd be back soon. Just wanted to pass along some information, rather than just links to news stories. Frankly, there's not a whole lot going on right now and I think there's going to be some chain reaction stuff going on, particularly with the college hitters. There are 11 first-round picks still unsigned. Five of them -- Pedro Alvarez, Eric Hosmer, Josh Fields, Allan Dykstra and Gerrit Cole -- are represented by Scott Boras. No one said this was going to be boring. Here's what's out there as of now:

2. Pirates -- Pedro Alvarez: The Pirates are being tight-lipped, other than to say that negotiations are on-going. This was one I figured would come down to the wire, anyway, but I did hear from a sort-of second-hand source that the two sides aren't all that far apart.

3. Royals -- Eric Hosmer: Really nothing new to report. Hosmer is playing in a tournament over the weekend and things will get cooking next week. The Royals went down this road with Moustakas last year and got it done.

4. Orioles -- Brian Matusz: Both sides want to get something done, though it was characterized as not being close, but not that far apart, either. (As an aside, 8th round pick Bobby Bundy was in Baltimore for a physical today and was expected to sign pending the results -- he did have a torn ACL last winter).

5. Giants -- Buster Posey: This one will go down to the 11th hour. Rumors, if you recall, were that Posey was looking for some serious cashola bonus-wise.

7. Reds -- Yonder Alonso: It hasn't been going great, but the Reds are still fairly confident they'll get it done. Look for it to be above-slot. An odd side note: The agent representing Alonso also reps Jim Morris, the University of Miami baseball coach. Yep, Alonso went to Miami...just adds some drama.

8. White Sox -- Gordon Beckham: The organization feels pretty good he'll sign, though nothing concrete has materialized as of yet.

9. Nationals -- Aaron Crow: There have been all sorts of reports that talks aren't "going well," but who knows how much of that is posturing. Word was Crow was looking for a big-league deal at one point in time.

11. Rangers -- Justin Smoak:  I haven't been hearing much on this front. I can see this one being tied to what Alonso signs for at No. 7.

20. Mariners -- Josh Fields: Even though he's a Boras guy, I'm surprised at this one. The college seniors, even those represented by Boras, usually sign more quickly than this. Some feel Boras is trying to up the price on seniors, so his juniors will get even more money in the future. This guy needs to sign -- he could be getting big-league time by now.

23. Padres -- Allan Dykstra: He's a Boras guy and he's got some health concerns (hip). One probably makes the other more complicated. This one was reported as done a while back, but that was a bit premature.

 28. Yankees -- Gerrit Cole: It's expected to happen, though don't be surprised if it goes down to the deadline. (Another aside: they'll likely sign supplemental first-round pick Jeremy Bleich, but not second-rounder Scott Bittle)


More as I hear about it...

I'm a little bit late with this post, considering the event was last weekend and people are already focusing on the Area Code Games in California, followed by the AFLAC All-American Game in Dodger Stadium. But here's what I heard from the event in Lakeland, Fla. ...

Overall, it wasn't a great group. Some of the biggest names like Donavan Tate and Austin Maddox were not there. Talking to a few scouts, here are a few guys who did perform well (Those who aren't 2009 draft eligible are duly noted):

Hitters

Luke Bailey, C: He's got a plus arm and gets rid of the ball in a hurry thanks to a quick exchange from behind the plate. The LaGrange, Ga. native has some serious power now -- we're not talking projection and he made better contact than he has shown in the past.

Delino DeShields, 3B/OF: He's a Class of 2010 kid and yes, the name is familiar. Evidently, he's got some of the same skills, most notably some ridiculous speed.

Scooter Gennett, INF/OF:  Showed a plus arm defensively. With a lean, athletic body, he showed some pop from the left side. He plays an all-out brand of baseball, giving him that rare combination of instincts and tools.

Brian Goodwin, OF: Out of Rocky Mount, NC, Goodwin is a toolsy outfielder. He's pretty raw, still, but the tools were on display. Many of these players played in East Cobb recently, and one scout said Goodwin looked much improved, with better balance and approach, this time around.

Reed Gragnani, INF: Out of Richmond, Va., Gagnani showed plus defensive range, ran pretty well and showed a smooth left-handed stroke, squaring up balls all weekend.

Michael Revell, INF: The Floridian may have put himself on the map at the Showcase. He opened some eyes with an ability to swing the bat, with some pop, and some above-average athleticism.

Richie Shaffer, INF/P: He's shown well in the past as a pitcher, but had a good weekend at the plate in Lakeland. The scout I talked to wasn't sure about his ability to play third, though.

Mike Trout, INF: The New Jersey native had a strong weekend, showing a good swing and consistently putting the barrel on the ball.

 
Pitchers

Cameron Bedrosian, RHP: Yup, that's Steve Bedrosian's kid, and he's eligible in 2010. He showed some serious arm strength, lighting the radar gun up to 95 mph.

Christopher Jenkins, RHP: He's 6-7 and has a big, big arm. There are some questions about his delivery, but did I mention he's 6-7?

Daniel Tuttle, RHP:  The kid from North Carolina wasn't great on the first day, but threw again on Sunday night and impressed with a fastball that touched 94 and a slider that was a plus offering at times.

Zack Wheeler, RHP: At 6-4, 180 pounds, the Georgia native had the best combination of stuff and projectability at the Showcase.

So there you have it, some names to consider for next year and beyond. I should be back on here frequently in the coming days as the draft signing deadline approaches.

There's just over two hours left in our MiLB.com Charity Auction, folks, plenty of time to get in on the action. There's been some activity, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't get into the bidding. We're just under $1600 as of this post -- I really want to get to 2K, so get in there and bid! 

No. 16 overall pick Brett Lawrie has officially signed with the Milwaukee Brewers. I've learned the bonus is for $1.7 million.

The Canadian high schooler is reportedly going to get the opportunity to catch as a pro. For now, he goes to Beijing for the Canadian Olympic Team as a Brewer. Here's the statement from Lawrie that was included in the release:

"The signing is now complete and I am thrilled to be a Brewer. The team was patient and supportive given my unusual summer with the Worlds and Olympics, so I am thankful for that. I will be in Milwaukee shortly after the Olympics end and am excited to see Miller Park and the city. As you can imagine, my sole focus right now is the Olympics, yet it is so nice to know that I am now part of the Brewer family and I look forward to meeting them all upon my return from China."

Wow, that was articulate... what do you think are the odds he actually said that? No matter -- congrats to Lawrie and the Brewers for getting that done. Hopefully there will be more to come.

Now that the trade deadline has passed (you can see my various blog posts on that craziness over at my Minors blog, B3), it's time to focus on the next big deadline: the draft signing deadline. That's coming at 12 p.m. ET on Aug. 15. To get ourselves ready (I'll also be doing some blogging on Geeking about showcases -- the East Coast Showcase begins today), let's take a look at some of the latest on the unsigned first-rounders, starting with the unsigned in the to 10.

2. Pirates (Pedro Alvarez): Coonelly 'frustrated by Alvarez negotiations
3. Royals (Eric Hosmer): Royals now focused on signing picks
4. Orioles (Brian Matusz): Is no news good news? There's been nothing written lately.
5. Giants (Buster Posey): Nothing new to report here.
7. Reds (Yonder Alonso): Feet dragging on signing picks?
8. White Sox (Gordon Beckham): No news of late.
9. Nationals (Aaron Crow): Slow negotiations with Crow

No. 1 Tim Beckham, No. 6 Kyle Skipworth and Jason Castro are the three top 10 picks who have signed thus far.

I'll be working the phones and the emails in the next couple of weeks trying to get the scoop on what's going on, so stay tuned...