It's mostly conjecture but he'd be doing himself a disservice if he didn't sign for whatever the Cubs care to give him. That's in the draft thread where we discussed why it's in his best interest to take the money and run.
Ehhh... maybe, maybe not. It stands to reason that with the whining about the CBA spending limits, that in 2-3 years those limits will be raised a bit. With that in mind, if Almora goes to Miami and excels there as much as he's expected to in the minors... then he can become a top 2 pick rather than the #6 pick. He waits 3 years, enjoys the college life, works his way to a backup degree, and doubles (possibly triples) his bonus money. It won't really hinder his development, as he'll progress while at Miami. So, he hits the majors at 22-23 rather than 21-22. Woo hoo, he misses out on MLB league minimum for a year... a small sacrifice compared to the much higher bonus.
The risk, of course, is that he goes to Miami and gets injured badly enough that he drops to a middling prospect. Or, he heads to Miami... and stinks. The latter is unlikely, as he's already been competing against collegiate level players while playing for Team USA, but it could happen.
If I were Almora, I'd take the cash this year not wanting to face the risk listed above... but I'd make the team grant me at least $3.5M. I'd also bust my tail to reach the majors within the next 2-3 years, understanding that Soriano and DeJesus will be gone from the big league team... and my only real competition is Matt Szczur, Jorge Soler, and Brett Jackson. I'm already projected to be better than any of those guys... and I'm touted to have one of the best work ethics amongst all of the draftees this year. Once signed, and I'd wait until the last moment just to see how much cash the team has left in their pool, I'd request being assigned to Boise right away to try to highlight my already "polished skills and talents due to the higher level of competition faced"... though I'd most likely go to Arizona.
and didn't call him up until after the ASG.
