TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays signed four more draft picks before Monday's deadline, but first-round pick Tyler Beede was not among them.
Beede, a six-foot-four, 200-pound right-hander out of Lawrence Academy in Massachusetts, had already committed to play baseball next season at Vanderbilt University.
The Blue Jays took a chance and drafted him with the 21st pick, but GM Alex Anthopolous and his team couldn't get him to sign. According to several reports, Beede turned down a signing bonus of more than US$2 million.
The Blue Jays will be compensated with another first-round pick, 22nd overall, in next draft.
"When you're going to be aggressive like this I expect each year to have several players unsigned," Anthopolous said from Seattle after the Blue Jays' 6-5 loss to the Mariners. "But on the whole I think we're going to come out ahead especially with the draft picks."
The Blue Jays did manage to sign second-round pick Daniel Norris and supplemental pick Kevin Comer.
Norris, a left-handed pitcher, received a $2 million signing bonus. he went 33-3 last season with Science Hill High School in Tennessee.
Norris was projected to be as high as a top-15 selection earlier this year, but perceived signability issues saw him slip to the 74th overall pick.
Comer, a right-hander, received a bonus of $1.65 million. He went 6-0 with a 1.65 earned-run average with Seneca High School in New Jersey last year.
The Blue Jays also signed infielders Christian Lopes and Matt Dean.
