The deadline for signing 2004 draftees is tonight at midnight EDT. That means that if the Angels are going to sign Jered Weaver, or if the D-Backs are going to sign Stephen Drew, they've got just under 4 hours (as of the time I'm posting this) to get it done...
Given that both are represented by Scott Boras, if something is going to get done with either or both of these guys, Boras is going to be very busy this evening.
On the Weaver deal, I figure this is a win/win situation for the Rangers. If he doesn't sign, then the Angels lose their first round choice from last season, and if he does sign, they've committed a ton of money to a guy who is considered very good and very polished, but not a Mark Prior-type prospect.
(And yes, I advocate drafting Weaver and paying him "a ton of money" below...I realize I'm being inconsistent here.)
Weaver and Drew not signing would be a nice windfall for the Rangers. Weaver was the #1 prospect going into last year's draft, per Baseball America, and Drew was the #3 prospect. With those two, plus #9 prospect Wade Townsend (who returned to school and didn't sign with Baltimore), that's three top talents who will be back in the 2005 draft, meaning that other quality players should be pushed down to Texas, who pick at #19.
What's interesting is that, after pushing for the Rangers to stay away from Boras clients the last couple of years, the Rangers are now apparently willing to consider drafting a Boras client if one falls to #19. This makes a certain amount of sense, since if the Rangers pick a player there who doesn't sign, they get a compensatory pick in the sandwich round of the next year's draft. That's going to obviously be a later pick than #19, but the dropoff shouldn't be as dramatic as if they failed signing a top 10 pick.
If any of the three holdovers from last year's draft are there at #19, I think the Rangers would have to think long and hard about pulling the trigger. This is particularly true of Weaver and Drew, since the Rangers' payroll is low enough this year that they can afford to spring for above-slot money, and they are both considered to be elite talents.
So we'll see what happens over the next few hours, and whether these guys sign or re-enter the draft...
Update [2005-5-31 1:8:8 by Adam J. Morris]:Baseball America reports that both Weaver and Drew have signed...