Signing Nix still a possibility for Astros

HOUSTON -- Right-hander Jacob Nix, taken by the Astros in the fifth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, could still wind up with the organization as the result of a grievance filed recently by the Major League Baseball Players Association against the Astros on his behalf, according to a baseball source.

Nix, drafted out of Los Alamitos (Calif.) High, had agreed to a $1.5 million signing bonus two weeks prior to the Draft, but his deal was put on hold and ultimately rescinded when the Astros couldn't sign No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken. Because they did not sign Aiken, the Astros lost a chunk of their Draft pool allotment set aside for Nix.

The grievance won't be heard before the end of the regular season, the source said.

Both Aiken and Nix are committed to UCLA. If they join the Bruins, they won't be Draft-eligible again until 2017, but they could attend junior college and re-enter the Draft next year.

The Astros didn't sign Aiken, a left-handed high school pitcher from the San Diego area, because of concerns about his elbow.