Draft Spending

by Roberto on Oct 14, 2008 7:54 PM EDT Comment 3 comments

Jim Callis of BA shares what we already knew: the Pirates sharply increased spending for draft bonuses. The Bucs' spending on draftees more than doubled, putting them near the top of the spending parade. They, along with the Royals, Red Sox, and Rays, exceeded the previous record for bonus payments.

The Pirates also spent pretty heavily for international players, focusing on Latin America. They were 12th in international bonuses. Notable signings include CF Exicardo Cayones, Venezuela; SS Jodaneli Carvajal, Dominican Republic; SS Yhonathan Barrios, Columbia; and C, Ramon Cabrera, Venezuela. Ben Badler of BA (subscription only) had complimentary things to say about the signees. It's worth noting that the Reds and Cards spent more than the Pirates. The Pirates spent about $1,200,000 on bonuses. Does anyone know how much they spent last year?

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Not sure on last year's spending.

Wilbur would probably know.

I did want to say that I’m a tiny bit suspicious about Cabrera, since his dad (Alex) was one of the guys named in the Mitchell Report. Still, there’s no direct evidence to suggest that the younger Cabrera isn’t clean, and even if he is, he might be talented enough to succeed without the drugs anyway.

It’s also kind of interesting, in that we made a big push to sign Patrick Palmeiro before the draft deadline this year. Probably doesn’t mean anything, but the coincidence amused me anyway.

by Vlad on Oct 15, 2008 9:16 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I take it you mean Latin American spending, since the 2007 draft spending is in the chart.

BA is counting only bonuses of six figures and higher, so the Pirates’ 2007 Latin American spending was zero if you calculate it the same way. They didn’t sign anybody over five figures. I doubt the overall bonus spending was above the low six figures.

by WTM on Oct 15, 2008 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs