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Posted by Sammy on 6/1/2005, 11:09 pm There's usually no clock in baseball, but the Diamondbacks came down to the final 30 seconds in signing 2004 top pick Stephen Drew on Monday night. The two sides sent their deal to the commissioner's office literally at the last minute before a deadline that would have cost the Diamondbacks their rights to Drew, who would have then entered next week's draft. But instead, the two sides agreed to a five-year major league contract worth a guaranteed $5.5 million. The deal could be worth as much as $7.5 million if incentives are met. advertisement "I am thrilled that we were able to come to an agreement with Stephen at the deadline," Diamondbacks General Manager Joe Garagiola Jr. said in a statement. "Our persistence in the pursuit of a deal is indicative of our confidence in his talent and his future." Even after the deal was submitted by Monday night's 9 p.m. (Arizona time) deadline, the two sides continued to talk for more than three hours as Drew's agent, Scott Boras, tried to squeeze more and more for his client, Diamondbacks officials said. There was concern late into the night that the deal would fall apart, but the officials said the team held its ground. The deal agreed upon was essentially the same one the Diamondbacks proposed at a meeting in April. It is believed to include a $4 million signing bonus, a new team record for a draft pick. The Diamondbacks gave $2 million each to Corey Myers, the No. 4 overall pick in 1999, and Mike Gosling, a Boras client who slipped to the second round in 2001. In Drew, the brother of Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew, the Diamondbacks have the consensus top player from last year's draft. The shortstop hit .344 with 17 home runs in 57 games at Florida State last year. In the last month of the holdout, he played in the independent Atlantic League, where he hit .427 with four home runs. "We feel we have the best player in the past couple of drafts, not only the '04 draft," Diamondbacks scouting director Mike Rizzo said. The Diamondbacks rolled the dice by drafting Drew at No. 15 overall, where he slid because of concerns over his signability. Boras, a hard-bargaining agent, has a reputation for holdouts. In fact, another Boras client, Jered Weaver, a pitcher out of Long Beach State, signed with the Angels late Monday. He also was a first-round holdout. Rizzo believes Drew's signing elevates the stature of the Diamondbacks' 2004 draft class, which also featured Louisiana State outfielder Jon Zeringue, University of Houston pitcher Garrett Mock and Princeton pitcher Ross Ohlendorf. "Unquestionably, the best draft in baseball last year with Drew in the fold," Rizzo said. Rizzo will now turn his attention to this year's draft, which begins a week from today. "We've been saying all along that this isn't going to affect our decision in the '05 draft and we're sticking to that," Rizzo said. Republic writer Bob McManaman contributed to this report.
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Drew will begin his pro career in Class-A Lancaster (Calif.).A news conference is tentatively scheduled for Thursday in Phoenix.
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