Zach Lee To Make Unsurprising Decision Soon

The deadline to sign 2010 MLB draft picks is less than a week away on Monday the 16th. At 11:59 p.m., Bryce Harper will sign for more than $10 million and Manny Machado will sign for around $8 million. It happens every year. Harper and Machado aren't going to go the College of Southern Nevada together and dominate JUCO like nobody has ever seen, despite what they've been saying on Facebook.

But of course, every season there are a couple of first rounders who decide to go to college or back to college or to an independent league. Rarely do you see a team pick a player with no intent at all in signing him. It appears that's the case with the Dodgers and Zach Lee. The discussions are going, well, not at all...

"As afar as I know I'm here to stay unless something changes," Lee said. "Right now I'm going to continue to practice and try to improve my game as much as possible. I know I'm going to have to make a decision sooner or later if they put up an offer or an option. As far as I know I'm here to stay.

"I haven't talked with them or anything. They contacted me to let me know they drafted me. I haven't heard from them since."

Perhaps with all of the divorce festivities the McCourts simply forgot to pay the Dodgers' phone bill. Maybe the Dodgers believe the Internet is a fad and never set up an email account. There fours of possibilities. Even if the Dodgers start up negotiations soon, it's unlikely they'll be able to sign Lee away from LSU where he's already practicing with the football team. And with Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee as the lead candidates to quarterback the Tigers, Zach Lee might not have long to wait before his chance.

I wrote after the draft that this seemed like a throwaway pick to me. Lee seems pretty committed to playing football and baseball at LSU and the rumors put it between $3-$6 million to buy out that commitment. I can't see the Dodgers ponying that up at 12:59 Monday night while the team is hijacked by the McCourt divorce. Why would I write not one but two and most likely three posts about this? I'm an unabashed LSU homer. So watch for part three of this trilogy, Return of the Tigers, on Tuesday.

[Nola.com]

The Dodgers' Throwaway Draft Pick

When the Dodgers drafted right handed pitcher Zach Lee on Monday night, I wondered if they had any intention on signing him. Obviously, this was a popular opinion but I was there too! The Dodgers franchise is currently being held hostage in the famous McCourt episode of Divorce Court. The Dodgers are in no position to be spending way over slot and they weren't even allowed to offer arbitration to some of their free agents last season which cost them draft picks.

And they will have to go over slot. Zach Lee is committed to LSU to play baseball and quarterback for the Tigers. Before the draft, it was public knowledge that it was going to take at least $3 million to sign Lee. That might not even get it done anymore. LSU football head coach Les Miles recently discussed Lee...

"Zach wants to come to LSU, get a degree and play football and baseball for the Tigers. I met with Zach and his parents today and I think that they are looking at LSU as a great opportunity both academically and athletically. Zach is an outstanding student and he's excited about the college experience."

Lee is also starting summer classes at LSU this week. Keith Law even dropped some insider knowledge in a Klaw chat saying "Rumor of the day had the kid saying $6 million wouldn't get him signed." The Dodgers definitely aren't shelling out $6 mil.

Sure, I'll try to defend the pick. It's never a good idea to intentionally draft a player with no intention to sign him. 1. You lose an entire year of development of a player you could have signed. 2. The compensation pick you receive the following season isn't protected. If you don't sign a player with your comp pick, you don't get another one the following year, leaving you with little leverage. That said, it's possible the Dodgers drafted Lee and will meekly try to sign him and collect the draft pick 28A in next year's draft. This way it looks like the Dodgers tried to sign a nice talent but just couldn't get it done. We tried, fans! After the top three picks, this was a pretty weak draft. Next year's draft is absolutely loaded. An extra pick in next year's draft is a great thing to have. The divorce and future of the franchise should be decided by then and they could be free to overspend next year.

Hey, I didn't say I could defend that move, just that I'd try. Personally, I love the pick. I don't like the Dodgers and I love LSU. Win, win for me.