Astros, No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken fail to reach a deal
The Houston Astros, losers of more than 100 games in three consecutive seasons, watched their rebuilding project momentarily derailed at the negotiating table.
The Astros became the first team in 31 years to fail to sign the first overall pick in the draft, Brady Aiken, as well as their fifth-round pick, Jacob Nix, which could result in legal action.
"Today, two young men should be one step closer to realizing their dreams of being major league players,'' union executive director Tony Clark said. "Because of the actions of the Houston Astros, they are not.
"The MLBPA, the players and their advisers, are exploring all legal options.''
The Astros offered about a $5 million signing bonus on Friday before the 5 p.m. ET deadline, but Aiken stuck to his guns, and refused to sign for less money than the $6.5 million the Astros originally offered last month, a person familiar with the talks told to USA TODAY Sports. The person was not authorized to speak publicly because of the nature of the negotiations.
The Astros rescinded their original $6.5 million proposal after medical reports showed a small abnormality near the ligament in his left elbow. Aiken, who was throwing 98 mph the last time he pitched, was examined by doctors on his own, and said he was fine.
Negotiations came to an abrupt halt, and even when the Astros raised their offer Friday from $3.1 million to $5 million, Aiken's camp did not bother to respond.
"We are disappointed that we were not able to reach an agreement with Brady Aiken today,'' the Astros said in a statement. "As an organization, we devoted a great deal of time and resources to these negotiations. Despite our best efforts, a deal could not be reached.
"The Astros offer to Brady was extremely fair considering all the factors involved in this case. As always, we approached these negotiations in good faith and with the best interests of the Astros organization in mind, both short-term and long-term. Throughout this entire process, we have absolutely acted within Major League Baseball's rules and guidelines, which MLB has confirmed on numerous occasions.''
Casey Close, Aiken's family advisor, declined comment, but he and the Major League Players Association accused the Astros earlier this week of manipulating the system.
"It is disappointing on any number of levels to think what has happened in that situation," Clark said. "The manipulation that we think happened in this case is going to lead us to have some conversations."
The Astros, who had to offer $3.17 million to receive a compensation pick in the 2015 draft, will now receive the second pick in next year's draft.
Aiken, who committed to UCLA before the amateur draft, now must decide whether to go to UCLA or a junior college. If he attends a junior college, he can be eligible for the draft in 2015 instead of waiting until 2017. Nix, who also committed to UCLA, had originally agreed to a $1.5 million bonus. Yet, by not signing Aiken, the Astros lost their $7.9 million slot money, also voiding their agreement with Nix .
The only No. 1 overall picks who have failed to sign since the implementation of the draft were high-school catcher Danny Goodwin in 1971 and pitcher Tim Belcher in 1983.
