DENVER -- The Reds continued Thursday to work toward signing the 2017 MLB Draft's No. 2 overall pick, pitcher Hunter Greene, but it's likely going to go down to the wire to Friday's 5 p.m. ET deadline.
"We're already pretty close. It's possible that it'll go until [Friday]," Reds general manager Dick Williams said on Thursday afternoon following his club's 6-3 win over the Rockies. "I'm still very hopeful."
Greene, 17, is the only player picked in the top 10 of this year's Draft to remain unsigned. Selected out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., he was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Draft by MLBPipeline.com.
The slot value of the No. 2 pick is $7,193,200, and the Reds have managed their bonus pool money to pay him $7,235,600 without incurring any penalties. If Greene gets that, he would get the highest Draft bonus since bonus-pool restrictions were instituted in 2012. That would surpass the $7,005,000 the Rays paid to No. 4 overall selection Brendan McKay on June 27.
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What will it take to get the deal with Greene done for Cincinnati? Five first-round picks remained unsigned.
"I think it's just them getting comfortable with the deal and signing off," Williams said. "There are a lot of other guys who haven't crossed the finish line yet. For some reason, it takes people down to the final minutes to make sure they're getting what they think is appropriate. In this case, we're getting down to the last day. I'm hoping tomorrow we get a result."