Major League teams made their draft selections earlier this week. Some players will sign quickly, others – mostly high schoolers – won’t sign at all with the team that drafted them.
Some of baseball’s biggest stars could have had much different careers if they had signed with the team that originally drafted them. Here’s a look at the best players your favorite team drafted, but couldn’t sign.
Arizona Diamondbacks – Tarik Skubal (2017)
The Diamondbacks took a flier on Skubal in 2017, a year he was recovering from Tommy John surgery after a fine junior season at Seattle University. He was not expected to be a difficult sign, but he would require overslot money, and the Diamondbacks had used up their bonus pool. Skubal bet on himself and returned to Seattle for a redshirt junior season, and the Tigers selected him in the ninth round.
Athletics – Aaron Judge (2010)
Judge attracted the attention of the Athletics when he was a high schooler in nearby Linden. He didn’t have the kind of power he would later be known for, but scouts could project it in his six-foot frame. The Athletics took a flyer on him in round 31, and Judge admitted he was at least tempted by his local team.
“When you get the opportunity like that, getting drafted — especially by Oakland, a California team, pretty close to home — it was tempting. At the time, I just didn’t think I was ready or mature enough mentally or physically to start pro ball.”
But the A’s and everyone knew he would follow through on his commitment to play where his parents had gone to school, at Fresno State. Three years later, the Yankees would select him in the first round, and the MVP performances would come shortly after that.
Atlanta Braves – Randy Johnson (1982)
Can you imagine The Big Unit pitching with those Braves rotations in the ‘90s? It could have happened! Johnson was a 6’10’’ giant on the mound in Livermore, California, who had good velocity, but not much of an idea of where the ball was going. He was also pretty much a fastball-only pitcher who had yet to develop a breaking ball. But the Braves saw the potential and selected him in the fourth round. He passed them over and headed to USC, becoming a second-round pick by the Expos three years later.
Baltimore Orioles – Dave Winfield (1969)
Winfield has the distinction of being the only person to be drafted by four different sports leagues – MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and the ABA. But before that, he was a 6’6’’ high schooler in St. Paul, Minnesota, earning all-state honors in both baseball and basketball. The Orioles selected him in the 40th round of the 1969 draft, a round many teams had stopped selecting players. Winfield chose to go to the University of Minnesota where he eventually became the fourth overall pick of the 1973 draft by the Padres. But imagine Winfield coming up with Earl Weaver’s Orioles dynasty of the 1970s!
Boston Red Sox – Mark Teixeira (1998)
According to former Red Sox Dan Duquette, the team reached an agreement with the Teixiera family to select Mark in the ninth round, but give him first-round money. After the draft, Mark’s agent – Scott Boras – told the Red Sox he would be attending Georgia Tech.
Teixeira remembers it differently, accusing the Red Sox of telling teams he was unsignable.
“They had called me the day before the Draft to take me with the 12th pick, but my agent at the time, my advisor told me that pre-Draft deals were illegal and don’t agree to anything before the Draft. So I told the Red Sox that, and lo and behold, no one drafts me until the ninth round and it happened to be the Red Sox. So I think you can put two and two together.”
In either case, Mark became a standout with the Yellow Jackets and was selected fifth overall by the Rangers, receiving a then-record contract negotiated by….Scott Boras.
Chicago Cubs – Darrell Evans (1965)
The Cubs were unable to sign Mark Langston or Tim Lincecum, but we’ll go back to the first MLB draft in 1965. In the 13th round, the Cubs selected third baseman Darrell Evans out of high school in Pasadena. He decided to attend Pasadena Junior College, where he was drafted four more times – by the Yankees, Tigers, Phillies, before finally signing with the Athletics. The two-time All-Star would become a home run champ with over 414 career dingers.
Chicago White Sox – Jimmy Key (1979)
Jimmy Key was a high school standout in Huntsville, Alabama, earning attention from White Sox scouts. They selected him in the tenth round of the draft, but when Clemson baseball coach Bill Wilhelm saw Key strike out 19 batters in 11 innings in the state quarterfinal, he offered Jimmy a scholarship. Key accepted on the spot and put his pro career on hold, denying the White Sox a five-time All-Star.
Cincinnati Reds – Jake Arrieta (2004)
The Reds selected All-Star first baseman Chris Chambliss twice, but were unable to sign him. They also chose Jake Arrieta in the 31st round in 2004, but he elected to go to junior college. The Brewers thought they had him as a “draft-and-follow”, but he bet on himself and went to TCU where he earned a $1.1 million bonus from the Orioles.
Cleveland Guardians – Tim Linecum (2005)
Lincecum passed on the Cubs in high school, but Cleveland drafted him after his sophomore season at Washington in the 42nd round of the 2005 draft.
“Ultimately, we offered a considerable amount,” said then-Cleveland assistant general manager Chris Antonett. “We just didn’t get quite to the level that he was expecting.”
Lincecum was the tenth overall pick for the Giants the next year, depriving Cleveland fans of seeing him in a rotation with C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee.
Colorado Rockies – Chris Sale (2007)
The Rockies have been pitching-starved for much of their history, but they had a chance to add an eight-time All-Star and future Cy Young winner. Sale was offered $125,000 by the Rockies out of high school and asked for a day to mull it over.
As Rockies scouting supervisor John Cedarburg recounts, “They called me back the next day and said, ‘Can you go up on your offer?’
The Rockies would not, and Sale went to Florida Gulf Coast University, where he became the 13th overall pick by the Sox.
Detroit Tigers – Ozzie Smith (1976)
Smith was playing at Cal Poly and would not leave unless a team offered $10,000. The Tigers came up just short of that amount, with scouting director Bill Lajoie alleging he was overruled by GM Jim Campbell. Smith returned to college and became a fourth-round pick by the Padres, and was in the Majors the next year. To their credit, the Tigers drafted another Hall of Fame shortstop in 1976 – Alan Trammell.
Houston Astros – Jason Varitek (1990)
The Astros famously did not sign #1 overall pick Brady Aiken in 2014, although he never reached the big leagues. Pitchers Mike Flanagan and Scott Erickson did not sign either, having terrific careers elsewhere.
Jason Varitek was a standout catcher in high school, and the Astros used a 23rd round pick on him in 1990. They felt they had a good shot at signing him since their scout had organized Varitek’s “scout league” team. But he turned down a six-figure offer from them to attend Georgia Tech. He was twice a first round pick in college, turning down the Twins, but signing with the Mariners.
Kansas City Royals – Will Clark (1982)
Before he was “The Thrill”, Will Clark was a standout prep player in Louisiana. The Royals drafted him in the fourth round in 1982 and offered $35,000, but it wasn’t enough for him to sign. He would later say he wasn’t mentally and physically ready for the pros, and that going to Mississippi State was the best thing for him. He played for Team USA at the 1984 Olympics and was the second overall pick by the Giants in 1985.
Los Angeles Angels – Buster Posey (2005)
Teams have sometimes used late-round picks on a flyer knowing a player won’t sign. That’s what the Angels did in 2005 when they selected Buster Posey as a high school pitcher – that’s right, a pitcher.
“We had no intention of signing him unless the budget just had blown up with our high picks and we could go back and get a guy,” said former Angels scouting director Eddie Bane. “We didn’t know what we were getting, obviously.”
Teams knew he had a strong commitment to Florida State, and he became a standout behind the plate, becoming the fifth overall pick by the Giants in 2008.
Los Angeles Dodgers – Chase Utley (1997)
The Dodgers were Chase Utley’s favorite team growing up. They selected him in the second round of the 1997 draft out of high school. His father, an attorney, negotiated what they felt like was a fair deal. So why didn’t Utley sign? Here’s how he put it:
“I went down to Cabo and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed being outside with my buddies and I enjoyed that atmosphere and I decided during that week that I wasn’t ready to go to pro ball. I wanted to continue my education as well as play baseball at UCLA. I wanted to experience college life and when I got back I told my parents. Obviously the Dodgers were disappointed.”
Utley would become a six-time All-Star with the Phillies, eventually signing with the Dodgers in 2015. But the lesson here is, don’t let your draft picks go to Cabo!
Miami Marlins – Charlie Blackmon (2004)
The Marlins drafted Cliff Lee in 1997 and Bryce Miller in 2018, but it was another pitcher that makes this list – Charlie Blackmon.
That’s right, the Marlins selected Blackmon as a pitcher.
“He was kind of a command guy,” said Stan Meek, the Marlins’ vice president of scouting. “He wasn’t an overly hard thrower, but he had pretty good command and a pretty good delivery.”
Blackmon turned them down, but it wasn’t until he developed tendinitis at Georgia Tech that he turned to hitting full time, becoming a second round pick and four-time All-Star outfielder for the Rockies.
Milwaukee Brewers – Jason Giambi (1989)
In addition to Giambi, the Brewers failed to sign shortstop Nomar Garciaparra (1991) and pitcher Alex Fernandez (1988), a combo that would have given them a much better team in the 90s. Giambi was a 42nd-round pick, but received little Division I attention. He would still turn down the Brewers and become a standout at Cal-State Long Beach, becoming a second-round pick by the Athletics in 1992.
Minnesota Twins – Steve Garvey (1966)
The Twins famously failed to sign first overall pick Tim Belcher, who went on to win 146 MLB games in his career. They also lost out on Mark Grace, Jason Varitek, J.D. Martinez, and George Springer. But they spent a third-round pick on Steve Garvey, a Florida prep infielder, only to have him reject them and go to Michigan State before an illustrious All-Star career as one of the best-fielding first basemen ever.
New York Mets – Roger Clemens (1981)
Clemens pitched against the Mets in the 1986 World Series, but imagine if he was in a rotation with Dwight Gooden! Clemens was at San Jacinto Junior College when the Mets had manager Joe Torre get a look at him before selecting him in the 12th round in 1981. His dream, however, was to pitch at the University of Texas. He led the Longhorns to the College World Series before the Red Sox made him a first-round pick.
New York Yankees – Fred Lynn (1970)
Lynn played in a Yankees uniform – as a teenager for the semi-pro Pasadena Yankees. Everyone knew he was going to play football and baseball at USC, but the Yankees spent a second-round pick on him anyway. Gerrit Cole also turned down the Yankees out of high school, eventually signing with them as a free agent.
Philadelphia Phillies – J.D. Drew (1997)
Drew was the #2 overall pick out of Florida State, but reports surfaced that he sought an $11 million bonus. Agent Scott Boras claims they never asked for more than $7.5 million, while the Phillies countered with $3 million.
“I don’t think he was ever going to settle for the money that was being asked,” said Phillies GM Ed Wade.
At an impasse, Drew spent a year playing independent ball before re-entering the draft. The Cardinals made him the #5 overall pick and paid him a $7 million bonus.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Trea Turner (2011)
The Pirates were willing to spend to lure Trea Turner away from his commitment to North Carolina State. But the Florida high schooler wasn’t ready to turn pro yet.
“They could have given me $1 million and I would have still gone to college. I felt like I needed to grow and I needed to mature. College gave me a few years to do that without baseball being my job.”
Three years later, the Padres made him a first-round pick.
San Diego Padres – Todd Helton (1992)
Helton was a Tennessee kid set to play football and baseball for the Volunteers. The Padres used a second-round pick on him, and the two sides went deep into negotiations. Scouting director Reggie Waller allegedly offended Helton by jokingly suggesting they race for the $50,000 difference in bonus amount. Helton decided to go to Tennessee, where he ended up starting at quarterback his junior year. But he was beat out the next year by a freshman named Peyton Manning. Helton later said he would have signed with the Padres had he known a future Hall of Fame quarterback would take his playing time.
San Francisco Giants – Barry Bonds (1982)
Bonds would spend some of his best years with the Giants, but he could have spent his entire career in San Francisco had the team ponied up an additional $5,000. The team drafted the son of former Giants All-Star Bobby Bonds out of Serra High School near Candlestick Park in the second round. He had a scholarship offer from Arizona State, but was willing to sign for $75,000. The Giants offered $25,000.
They eventually raised their offer to $70,000, but general manager Tom Haller wouldn’t budge.Then-Giants manager Frank Robinson believed in Bonds so much, he offered to pay the difference, as he told Ken Rosenthal in 1993.
“I said, ‘Give him $5,000 of my money.’ I was serious. They said: ‘No, he’s going to school. He’s going to school, and in a year or so, he won’t make it.’ They let him go. They stopped at $70,000.”
Well, he didn’t make it. And eventually, he’d sign with the Giants for a lot more money.
Seattle Mariners – Adley Rutschman (2016)
The Mariners drafted and failed to sign Tony Phillips, Lance Johnson, Barry Zito, and Juan Pierre twice. But a future #1 overall pick was in their area, playing in the Pacific Northwest at Sherwood High School in Oregon. The Mariners took a flyer on him in the 40th round after he was named Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year, but he went on to Oregon State where he won Baseball America College Player of the Year.
St. Louis Cardinals – Paul Molitor (1974)
Molitor missed much of his senior high school baseball season in Minnesota due to mono, and was just a 28th round pick by the Cardinals in 1974. They offered half of the $8,000 he was looking for, and while he considered their offer, he received a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. He became a star with the Golden Gophers and was the third overall pick of the 1977 draft by the Brewers.
Tampa Bay Rays – Jacoby Ellsbury (2002)
Ellsbury was a standout athlete at numerous sports at Madras High School in Oregon, but he excelled on the baseball field. The Rays took him in the 23rd round in 2002 and offered him $90,000, but he turned them down to play for nearby Oregon State. He led them to the College World Series and was selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2005 draft.
Texas Rangers – Barry Zito (1998)
The Mariners had taken Zito in the 59th round out of high school, but the Rangers thought enough of him to take him in the third round when he was at UC-Santa Barbara. Zito was planning to transfer to USC, but was willing to sign for $350,000. The Rangers offered $300,000 and said the offer would go down the longer Zito waited. Tom Hicks was trying to get his offer to buy the team approved by fellow owners, which may have limited what GM Doug Melvin could offer.
“Tom Hicks just didn’t feel comfortable,” Melvin said. “He didn’t want to make the other owners mad by paying more than what would have been slot money, what a guy taken at that point should get.”
Zito would eventually take his beautiful curve to the rival Athletics, winning a Cy Young in 2002.
Toronto Blue Jays – Kris Bryant (2010)
Las Vegas-native Kris Bryant was pretty committed to attending the University of San Diego. But that didn’t stop the Blue Jays from using an 18th-round pick on him in 2010. And yet, they didn’t even offer him a contract.
“I guess they just never got to me,” said Bryant in 2018.
Bryant would have a tremendous college career and was selected second overall by the Cubs in 2013.
Washington Nationals – Mark McGwire (1981)
“Big Mac” is remembered for smashing home runs, but the first time he was drafted was for his prowess on the mound. The Southern California high schooler was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the eighth round of the 1981 draft. They offered just $8,500 so he went to USC and had a decent freshman season on the mound. A hitting coach saw what McGwire could do in batting practice and suggested he fill in at first base in a summer league. A power hitter was born, and the Athletics would select him in the first round of the 1984 draft.
