Mo Williams interested in returning to Cavs
June 19, 2015Cavaliers donated $260K to charity via NBA Finals watch parties
June 20, 2015The Cleveland Indians announced on Friday that they have agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken, the team’s first-round selection at No. 17 overall earlier this month. There has been no reported news of the exact amount, but Baseball America’s Jim Callis reported it will be over his $2.39 million slot value.
Aiken, who turns 19 in two months, was the first pick of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. He eventually did not sign with the team — declining a final offer of about $3.1 million — giving Houston the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft (to go along with their No. 5 selection). Sports Illustrated’s Ben Reiter had a great feature last summer on the inside workings of why a deal with Houston never materialized.
One of the chief concerns of those negotiations: A physical that perhaps indicated a future need for elbow surgery. Eventually, Aiken did require Tommy John UCL reconstruction surgery, which took place in March. He is already rehabbing in Goodyear, Arizona, at the Indians spring training complex.
“Our scouts did a really good job and spent a lot of time evaluating Brady over the past two years,” said Brad Grant, the Indians’ scouting director. “We’re very excited to have the opportunity to select a player as talented as Brady, with the character of Brady as well.”
Before the negotiation nightmare with Houston, Aiken was viewed as a pristine high school prospect. He wrote about the situation from his perspective for The Player’s Tribune back in March. The Indians brass reaffirmed their belief in his character in recent comments to the media.
“We have zero concerns about Brady’s character,” said general manager Chris Antonetti. “In fact, we think that’s part of what makes Brady so attractive to us.”
The Indians — who took a risk on several other pitchers in this year’s draft — have been well regarded for their work with the eccentric Trevor Bauer. Whether Aiken likely is not as quirky, the team is showing more and more emphasis toward the development of an elite future pitching staff. Aiken should be a big part of those plans once he returns to the mound in spring 2016.
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