The Toronto Blue Jays did not reach an agreement with second-round pick Brady Singer before Friday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline for signing 2015 draftees.
The Blue Jays made Singer an offer, but did not reach a deal with the 18-year-old right-hander, who has committed to the University of Florida. Blue Jays amateur scouting director Brian Parker declined to offer specifics, but said it “wasn’t a financial decision.”
“I can’t get into details, but it’s unfortunate we weren’t able to get anything done with him,” Parker said. “We obviously like Brady and we wish him and his family a lot of success moving forward at Florida.”
MLB recommended a bonus of $1,091,200 for the 56th overall selection. Instead, the Blue Jays get an additional second-round pick in the 2016 amateur draft, the 57th overall selection.
Though teams don’t have access to player medical files before the draft, the Blue Jays did review Singer’s file after selecting him. Parker declined to say whether a health question impacted the Blue Jays’ decision making, but said the team remained in touch with the prospect’s camp until Friday.
“I can’t really get in to any details other than we weren’t able to get a deal,” Parker said. “Getting a player signed takes agreement on a signing bonus and some other things that have to get agreed upon before you get an actual signature on the contract.”
At the time of the draft the Blue Jays expressed optimism about reaching a deal with Singer, a 6-foot-5 right-hander.
“It’s a young, athletic kid with a big frame and a great fastball,” Parker said after selecting Singer. “He’s got (fastball) life and he’s got sink and he can really command the fastball. Secondary (pitches are) probably the one thing that he needs to work on … but he can pitch with his fastball. That’s his biggest thing right now.”
Another scouting report describes Singer as a lean pitcher with loose, whip-like arm action reminiscent of Kevin Brown. While his off-speed pitches need refinement, Singer’s fastball can miss bats, giving him a realistic shot at pitching in the big leagues.
The Blue Jays did not reach a deal with 2011 first round pick Tyler Beede, and went on to select Marcus Stroman with a compensatory pick the following year. In 2013 the Blue Jays drafted Phil Bickford in the first round and did not reach a deal, allowing them to draft Max Pentecost in 2014.
The Blue Jays selected right-hander Jon Harris in the first round of this year’s draft and the 21-year-old has already begun his professional career. In four games with the Vancouver Canadians he has a 4.35 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 10.1 innings.
The Blue Jays signed all of the players they drafted within the first 10 rounds with the exception of Singer. Beyond the top 10 rounds, they signed all players except 11th rounder Marrick Crouse, 13th rounder Daniel Perry, 17th rounder Chandler Eden, 25th rounder Ryan Feltner, 29th rounder Kyle Davis and 37th rounder Randy Labaut.
