After taking a year to play independent league ball and avoid becoming a Washington National, Aaron Crow has signed with the Royals. The deal: a three-year Major League contract that guarantees $3 million and could be worth $4.5 million if he reaches the big leagues.
Last year he was picked ninth. Without a slot to dictate these sorts of things it’s hard to tell what he would have gotten, but it’s worth noting that, generally speaking the guys picked in his neighborhood in 2008 received bonuses in the $2-2.6 million range. The Nationals reportedly offered him $3.5 million.
Upshot: he moved from a bad organization to a worse one, and cost himself half a million bucks and a year’s development time. You’re never sad when someone makes you a millionaire, but I have to think that the holdout wasn’t worth it.