OAKLAND, CALIF. – One reason the Twins were willing to relinquish their second-round pick in the June draft — for signing free agent Ervin Santana last offseason — was because they received a compensation pick in the competitive balance round. They used that pick, No. 73 overall, to select Kentucky righthander Kyle Cody.
All they had to do was sign the kid and send him to the minors. But negotiations ended up being tougher than anticipated and, on Friday, the 4 p.m. deadline for inking draft picks came and went without Cody's signature.
The 6-7, 240-pound Cody will return to Kentucky for his senior season, frustrating Twins officials. They thought they were close to a deal, but they couldn't wrap it up.
"We worked on it, and it just didn't work out," General Manager Terry Ryan said. "I'm disappointed that we didn't get our second pick. You never like to go through a draft process without signing your top 10, top 15."
Cody has a mid-90s fastball along with a good curve, although he struggled at times for the Wildcats last season. Ryan said there were no health concerns that affected negotiations.
The assigned value of the pick was $839,700, which the Twins will not be allowed to use now. The Twins ended up signing 28 players from this year's draft class.
Because the Twins failed to sign Cody, they will receive the No. 74 overall pick in next year's draft.
"I think he was hoping to go a little higher than where we picked him," Ryan said. "That's the way it is. The slotting system is a little different than a free-for-all."