If he really thinks he can make top of the first round money, he's not signing- even with and extra 800k (bringing the offer to ~2.9 million), we're still short of slot at pick 7. When other teams pass on a guy because of medicals and the nats pounce, I don't necessarily trust our medical staff more than every other team's that passes on a guy. At the end of the day, he's a high school pitcher, and regardless of stuff and pedigree, the fail rate is still astronomical even without the injury.
He didnt fall just because of medical evals. The new slotting system also played a role. Arguably as much as the injury concern.
Also, the money issue isn't black and white. If the injury is as serious as you seem to think it may be, then obviously grabbing the money now is a wise move. If the injury isn't a concern, there are still positives to signing now. As good as Giolito is and has been projected to be, he could be up in the bigs by the time he's drafted again after his junior year. The ability to cash in with a big league salary and extra years towards free agency pay off huge.
This definitely isn't a situation we've seen before very many times, but you have to be happy we are the team that has the shot at getting Giolito signed. Even if he needs TJ, which is premature at this point, whats the big deal? He has surgery, sits out a year, and is still Nationals property. Id rather have him making his pro debut at 19 as a member of the Nationals organization, then pitching for the UCLA Bruins for the next three seasons and being totally out of our draft range.
There is no reason to be down or negative about having Giolito as Nationals property.
