No blame in Givens situation

Joe Jordan's track record as Orioles' scouting director is very good. We can all look at his drafts and see the talent he has added to the organization. His decision to withdraw a contract offer to second-round pick Mychal Givens was not made lightly. When I spoke on the phone with him Wednesday night he sounded pretty down about the whole thing. After all, he and his scouts put in a massive amount of time and effort in scouting and getting to know Givens. To not get the player signed is not what he wanted. But all teams have a draft budget. The clubs must put a value on a player and go from there. Why not just give the player what he wants, some fans want to know? It's a complicated process, but each spot in the draft has a value placed on it. Including the 54th overall spot, where Givens was drafted. Clubs do pay over slot sometimes and the O's have done it several times in this draft, but they will only go so far. Jordan admits Givens asked for more money on draft day and he knew the figure and took Givens anyway. Perhaps he figured Givens' side was negotiating and that figure would eventually come down. I'm sure often times, that is how it happens. Givens thought he should have been drafted in the first round. He told me so for an article I wrote on him right after the draft. Some reports say he wanted "first-round" money. But he was not a first-round pick. Now it will be up to Givens to go to Oklahoma State or some junior college, prove he is better than the 54th pick and get taken higher in a future draft. I don't think either side messed up here. They just did what they felt was in their best interest. Now both will move on.