A's Sign Third Rounder Steven Echavarria to Huge Overslot Deal

The A's officially sign potential ace draftee

Jim Calis of MLB.com is reporting that the Oakland A's have signed right-hander Steven Echavarria for $3 million, well over the slot value of the 72nd overall pick where he was selected. The value of that pick sat at $1,005,700, making this deal worth nearly three times as much as the slot value. 

Echavarria, 17, had a commitment to the University of Florida, so it was alway going to take an overslot deal to sign him away from that commitment. A's GM David Forst told reporters on Friday that the team spoke with Echavarria after the first day of the Draft, which likely meant that they knew what number it would take to get him to join the organization. 

In addition to the four selections that were signed on Sunday, Callis has also reported that fourth rounder Cole Miller has signed for a little above slot at $1 million, Myles Naylor (supplemental first round) signed for $2,202,500, and number six overall pick Jacob Wilson signed for a little below slot at $5.5 million. 

By selecting Wilson and signing him for about $1.1 million underslot, the A's had some money to move around to make a potential big splash later in the draft, which they have done in inking Echavarria. 

The slot value for Miller was $653,300, while Naylor signed right at the value of his pick. 

Echavarria reportedly added 20 pounds of muscle since last summer, which added to his fastball velocity. He topped out at 98 miles per hour this spring, but sat 94-96. Given that he is a high school selection, he'll be a bit of a work in progress, and we shouldn't expect to see him on the A's roster for a little while, but the scouting reports on him say that he has four pitches that he can control already, and that's a great head start on a pro career.