2014’s Five Worst Moments In Houston Sports
“Astros Draft Debacle”
4. The Houston Astros fail to sign Brady Aiken and more
Brady Aiken, MLB’s top prospect/No. 1 pick in the MLB draft out of Cathedral Catholic High in San Diego was set to sign with the Astros shortly after the draft.
He had been offered a $6.5 million bonus but when Aiken took his physical a few weeks later, the Astros learned from the results that there was an issue with his left elbow.
As a result, they reduced his offer to about $3.1 million before the signing deadline of July 18th infuriating Casey Close, Aiken’s agent.
Apr 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow stands on the field before a game against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
It had been reported that the Astros offered as much as $5 million five minutes before the deadline.
Close, who represents Clayton Kershaw as well as Derek Jeter in the past, alleged that the Astros were using his injury as a way to weasel out of the previous, higher offer that was made.
This resulted in a domino effect in the Astros not being able to sign Jacob Nix, a fifth-round pick and also a Close client.
What did this mean for the Astros?
The franchise lost out on two budding prospects because of pure controversy with each side of the arguments pointing the fingers at each other.
They should’ve just signed him and dealt with the elbow issue later — last time I checked, Tommy John‘s surgery is quite common and is a successful procedure if it were such a concern.
He can still throw the heat — 97 miles per hour — without any awkwardness or pain.
Aiken did commit to play for UCLA but even now that’s in limbo.
Players of his stature aren’t allowed to negotiate deals with high-powered agents such as Close which could very well nullify his NCAA collegiate eligibility for the upcoming season.
No word on that yet — he may have to head toward the junior college baseball route and hope for the best in 2015.
Either way, the Astros and Aiken can possibly try this again next year depending on how he fares but the question is, will they?