Twins work late to sign first-rounder

Missouri pitcher Kyle Gibson agreed to a $1.85 million signing bonus, with the resolution just beating an 11 p.m. deadline.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: August 18, 2009 - 12:24 AM

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The Twins signed first-round draft pick Kyle Gibson to a $1.85 million signing bonus Monday, beating an 11 p.m. deadline by about 10 minutes.

Gibson, 21, a righthanded pitcher from the University of Missouri, was ranked as the fourth-best prospect in this year's draft by Baseball America, but fell to the Twins at No. 22 after suffering a stress fracture in his right forearm.

This led to a difficult negotiation, and the sides remained at least $1 million apart heading into the final day.

"There wasn't a lot of progress early [Monday] because we were so far apart," said Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony, who finalized the negotiations with Gibson's adviser Randy Rowley. "This thing got done because the kid and the family wanted to get it done."

The commissioner's office slot recommendation for the No. 22 pick was about $1.29 million, and as deadline approached, the Twins had barely budged from that number. Gibson had hoped to sign for about $2.5 million but made a big compromise at the end.

"I'm really excited about the deal, and I think it's going to work out perfect for both sides," Gibson said. "For me, it was never about making more money than the other guy. I understood, being the No. 22 pick, I was going to take a discount. But I didn't want to take the discount unless they were willing to come my way as well."

The Twins never had paid above the slot recommendation for a first-round pick, though they had done it for lower-round picks, including current pitcher Jeff Manship.

"We believe in that [slot] system, but we did not want to lose this player," Antony said. "We presented it to ownership, and the Pohlad family said do it, if you think it's the right thing to do."

Antony said the Twins view Gibson as a potential front-line starter. At 6-5, he went 11-3 with a 3.21 ERA for Missouri this year, with 131 strikeouts and 19 walks in 106 2/3 innings.

Gibson's forearm has healed, and he is expected to begin pitching for the Twins this fall in Fort Myers, Fla., in the instructional league.

Gibson had said he'd return for his senior season at Missouri, if the sides couldn't agree. The Twins knew if they didn't sign him, they'd receive a compensatory first-round pick in the 2010 draft.

"This is a case where we had a chance to sign a player who we believe has a tremendous future," Twins General Manager Bill Smith said. "And we want to thank the Pohlad family for agreeing with our recommendation."

Notes

• As expected, the Twins did not sign 27th-round pick Eric Decker. The highly decorated Gophers receiver is committed to playing his senior season of football.

• The Twins' only other signing Monday was 44th-round pick Tyler Herr, a righthanded pitcher from Katy (Texas) High School. The Twins signed 23 of their 51 picks, including their top 10 selections.

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