NEW YORK (AP) -Baltimore and No. 4 draft pick Brian Matusz agreed to a contract Friday, but the second, third and fifth overall selections remained unsigned as baseball’s midnight signing deadline approached.
Brian Matusz, a left-hander from the University of San Diego, received a four-year contract that guarantees him $3,472,500 and includes a $3.2 million signing bonus. He was the first selection this year to receive a major league deal.
“It’s been a long summer with the negotiations going on,” he said. “I’m just excited that we were able to come to terms.”
Ten of the 30 first-round draft picks were unsigned heading into Friday. Among the unsigned first-rounders were five players represented by agent Scott Boras: No. 2 selection Pedro Alvarez (Pittsburgh), No. 3 Eric Hosmer (Kansas City), No. 20 Joshua Fields (Seattle), No. 23 Allan Dykstra (San Diego) and No. 28 Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees).
Other high picks without deals included No. 5 Buster Posey (San Francisco), No. 7 Yonder Alonso (Cincinnati) and No. 9 Alan Crow (Washington).
The draft deadline began last year, when all first-round picks agreed to deals, including 11 whose signings were announced on the final day. Not every first-rounder will sign this year – Cole has told the Yankees he will attend college at UCLA because of his father’s wishes.
Tim Beckham, a high school shortstop taken by Tampa Bay with the top pick, received a $6.15 million signing bonus.
Alvarez, a third baseman who finished his junior season at Vanderbilt, had an interesting negotiation because new Pirates president Frank Coonelly used to be chief labor counsel for MLB and was in charge of the slotting system.
If Pittsburgh failed to sign Alvarez, it would receive an additional pick in the first round of next year’s draft, selecting third overall. Teams that don’t sign first- or second-round draft picks receive similar selections in the next draft as compensation.
Pittsburgh agreed Friday with its 20th-round pick, Quinton Miller, giving the high school pitcher a $900,000 signing bonus. On Thursday, the Pirates agreed to give a $1 million signing bonus to sixth-round pick Robbie Grossman, a high-school outfielder.
Tim Melville, a promising high school pitcher taken in the fourth round, agreed to a minor league contract with Kansas City for a $1.25 million signing bonus.
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AP Sports Writers Dave Ginsburg in Baltimore and Doug Tucker in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this report.
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