A Disappointing Setback

I will admit that I am upset that the Astros failed to sign Brady Aiken, Jacob Nix and Mac Marshall. I understand it, but that doesn't make it any better. The reality is that I feel certain that the Astros would have signed Jacob Nix and Mac Marshall if they could have done so without the horrendous penalty they would have incurred by signing them without first signing Brady Aiken. They just simply couldn't have taken that hit, potentially losing the first and second round picks next year.

Which leads me to believe that there was legitimate concern about Aiken's UCL. It doesn't make sense that the Astros wouldn't have simply signed him at the previously agreed upon $6.5 million figure if that elbow wasn't a legitimate concern, particularly knowing that they wouldn't be able to sign any of these three elite players. At some point, Jeff Luhnow and company would have had to blink. And they didn't blink.

The good news (if there is any) is that all three of those players were high school players. They weren't going to be helping the Astros out at the major league level in the next couple of years. There is a pipeline of excellent pitching coming up through the ranks right now that will be likely to help the team just as soon, if not sooner, than the trio that was lost to this unfortunate chain of events. But, more bad news, losing those three is likely to put a bit of a hiccup in that pipeline of talent. It may be a setback, but that is why you need a deep farm system. And the Astros have a deep and very talented system. It is insulting to those players currently in the system to say that the Astros are DOOMED because these three young men weren't signed.

Jeff Luhnow worked the draft system beautifully in 2012, netting him three first round talents in Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers and Rio Ruiz. He tried the same thing in 2014 and it just didn't work. If you thought he was a genius in 2012 and you think he's an imbecile now, that's a bit disingenuous. Similarly, for those FREAKING OUT about Mark Appel, he also didn't go from being a dominant pitcher to a terrible pitcher in the blink of an eye. It just doesn't happen that way. Likely, the problems he's had this season have gotten in his head and his struggles have been exacerbated by that. He can and will be a successful pitcher.

The person I feel sorriest for in this whole convoluted mess is Jacob Nix. He was the unfortunate victim of the slotting system and money pool that is currently in place for the draft. It wasn't his fault that Aiken wouldn't sign for the adjusted price that the Astros offered him. It wasn't his fault that the Astros got cold feet over Aiken's UCL. It wasn't his fault that the Astros couldn't sign him without jeopardizing their first and second round picks. But nonetheless, Nix was the one who was left out in the cold.

One final note. I am disappointed in how the Astros front office handled this whole debacle. It's one thing to be closemouthed about negotiations, but it was absurd that a press release wasn't available at 4:01 p.m. stating that none of the three had been signed. I would have had Reid Ryan front and center trying to smooth things over because he's superbly good at that. A reassuring voice sure would be nice right about now.