Weekend reports that the Houston Astros had reached a deal with No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel were not too far off base.
On Wednesday the Astros officially came to terms with Appel and will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. ET to announce the signing.
Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that Appel will receive a $6.35 million bonus, which is nearly $1.5 million below the suggest price.
Appel, 21, was considered to be the No.1 pick in the 2012 draft but fell all the way to No. 8 with signability concerns. Reports circulated then that he would reject a $6 million bonus by the Astros – who also had the No. 1 pick in 2012. He was eventually selected by Pittsburgh but rejected a bonus of $3.8 million and returned to Stanford for his senior season.
The new signing bonus by the Astros is worth in excess of $2.5 million more than the one offered by the Pirates last year.
