http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/selig-admits-aiken-case-isnt-closed/

 

Sounds like Houston might be allowed to sign Aiken even though the deadline has passed.  Aiken has not yet filed a grievance and Selig hopes it doesn't come to that so they are working on something else.  I would be pretty upset if Houston was allowed to sign Aiken and Nix a month after the deadline.

It doesn't actually look like they will be able to sign him.  The whole situation is very confusing.  It might have something to do with Nix more than Aiken.  

 

I would also be very upset if they were allowed to sign either of them though.  Unless they were forced to honor the agreement they made with Nix and they lost a draft pick due to being over their bonus pool.

 

MLB trade rumors goes through this in more detail:

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/08/astros-could-still-reach-deal-with-brady-aiken.html

Later stories make it seem like Selig mis-spoke (or misunderstood).

 

Possibly working something out on Nix (which makes sense because the grievance would extend the timeline) but nothing in the works on Aiken.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jon-heyman/24682993/astros-working-on-a-resolution-with-nix-not-aiken-it-turns-out

Edited August 28, 201412 yr by JB_Iowa

I wouldn't be upset if they are allowed to sign Nix .... as long as they have to pay the penalties for overspending and forfeit a pick (I think).

I hope they have to sign Nix and honor the deal they offered him.  Unless that deal was 100% contingent on the signing of Aiken to a lower deal.  I think it is BS they can offer him a deal, he accepts, passes his physical and then because Aiken will not take less money, back out of the deal to Nix.

I don't care if either is signed so long as the Astros receive some sort of negative consequence to this. I'd have no problem forcing them to honor the original deal for Nix and Aiken, thus taking away their first rounder next year....

 

I think right answer would be to make them both free agents, though unfortunately that would mean they'd be Yankees...

I do not like the Astros role in this but the players wanted a soft slotting system like this and that led to these shenanighans.  The owners would have been very happy to have hard slotting and I wouldn't be surprised if the next CBA had hard slotting and something resembling an international draft.

I don't care if either is signed so long as the Astros receive some sort of negative consequence to this. I'd have no problem forcing them to honor the original deal for Nix and Aiken, thus taking away their first rounder next year....

 

I think right answer would be to make them both free agents, though unfortunately that would mean they'd be Yankees...

1000 times this, although their crimes/stupidity may carry their own punishment.

Edited August 28, 201412 yr by Monkeypaws

Pretty much agree with the consensus here.

 

If Nix had an offer, it should be honored, and by honoring it, Astros would forfeit next year's pick as over cap.

 

For Aiken, I guess I wish in this case baseball had a Supplemental Draft where he could enter that. It starts with the worst team and they go pick by pick, if you want him, you select him, but you lose that pick in the upcoming draft.

 

Astros aren't allowed a shot at him at the #1 pick, so the Marlins #2 would be on the clock...if they pass, then the White Sox and so on...if he makes it to the 2nd RD, pick #1 in that round, the Astros would have a shot at him (no shot this happens), but under that scenario, they'd lose that 2nd RD pick.

 

Maybe MLB can do draft exceptions like that - the NFL does. Would make sense.

 

Aiken doesn't automatically become a Yankee and it doesn't instigate future draft picks to try to become FA's (e.g. Travis Lee) but negotiate in good faith their drafted team. That way he doesn't lose time (except for the short season now) and it keeps the Draft in tact.

If the Twins did this, I'd be angry, and I rarely get angry about the Twins. #1 overall picks are hard to come by, and to bobble it with this level of ham-handedness is an embarasment. That they managed to bollocks up the 5th rounder as well is the gravy.

 

Takes me back to Travis Lee days....