Tigers take Porcello
Scouting director David Chadd said the new rules of signing draft picks by Aug. 15 weren't going to affect the Tigers' strategy, and if anything, it might've benefited them by prompting other teams to pass on Rick Porcello. The other side of that strategy, though, is that they have to sign him now. They've pulled off difficult negotiations the past few years, and actually made last year's talks with Andrew Miller look easy, but none of those past three first-rounders were being advised by Scott Boras. If Porcello doesn't sign, however, the Tigers will receive a pick in essentially the same slot next year, another recent rule change.
How do the new rules affect Boras, whose top clients consistently seemed to wait until the next spring to sign under the old rules? We'll see. If Porcello goes to college -- he's committed to North Carolina -- he'll have to wait another few years before he goes back into the draft.
Porcello was a NICE pick, especially falling to 27 (I saw some draft boards with him going as high as 2). Amazing what the name Scott Boras can do (and a much needed rule change). Hopefully the Tigers will sign him...
How good would a rotation of Bonderman, Verlander, Miller, & Porcello look in 3 or 4 years?
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I think having an owner that wants to win and a GM that can negotiate contracts without taking set backs personally places the Tigers above other organizations when it comes to dealing with high profile picks.
Thats why the Tigers have such a decent relationship with Boras players. Boras tries to get the most for his clients and that is his job. The Tigers don't view taking a player who is represented by Boras as a risk if the player has the talent to play at a high level.
I hope that the other MLB teams keep on passing on HIGH RISK contract players so the Tigers can keep on getting top 5 prospects in the bottom of the first round. Because that is where the Tigers will stay if other teams keep on drafting the way they do.
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