A few last words on the Matthew Purke situation, which is still gnawing at me. Something just doesn’t add up. The Rangers knew what the Purkes’ demand was going into the draft and as late as last weekend, GM Jon Daniels said that whatever idea the Rangers got about Purkes bonus demands before the draft had not shifted upwards at any time during the negotiations. The Rangers knew what he wanted and drafted him anyway. To not get him signed, especially for a team that has put so much emphasis lately on draft success, is a real blow.
I have no personal knowledge of anything surrounding this, but am willing to bet that what happened was that Purke was telling folks before the draft he wanted $7 million to sign, and the Rangers drafted him thinking that when it came down to nut-cutting time, he'd take $4 million, particularly given that he'd be playing for the team he rooted for, and that has Nolan Ryan as the team president.
I suspect that when the deadline came, Purke stuck to his guns, said he wanted $7 million (or something close to it), and when he didn't get it, he didn't sign.