Oakland Athletics: Kyler Murray has team right where he wants them

Kyler Murray is set to get exactly what he wants from the Oakland Athletics.

It was understandable that Kyler Murray wanted to give football one more shot. The Oakland Athletics ninth overall draft pick was set to be the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners, a team with National Championship aspirations. The A’s, even though they signed him to a contract, agreed to allow him to have that one final year, before he began his professional career in their system.

However, Murray’s season was successful beyond anything the A’s could have expected. Although the Sooners fell short in their team goal, Murray was phenomenal, throwing for 4361 yards and 42 touchdowns, while rushing another 1001 yards and 12 scores. Given that success, he had been expected to declare for the NFL Draft.

Naturally, this has sent the A’s into a panic. They would not be able to recoup the ninth overall selection, leaving them to scramble to attempt to forgo the draft and honor his contract. With that being the case, A’s ownership, and members from major League Baseball, including a marketing executive, met with Murray on Sunday to attempt to convince him to forgo the draft and come to Spring Training.

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With that meeting, both with the A’s and MLB executives, Murray has both exactly where he wants them. He is set to get a significant pay raise, as it would technically be within the rules for Murray to get a major league contract, given that his circumstances have changed. While long term extensions are typically not allowed for players just out of the draft, Murray’s potential to be a first round pick in the NFL.

There may already be a number in mind by Murray’s representation when it comes to sticking with baseball. There are reports that he is looking for as much as $15 million to forgo the draft, roughly the expected contract for a player selected in the middle of the first round. Given his performance, it is not unreasonable that Murray could be drafted in such a spot.

Now, Murray can control his own destiny. If he forces the A’s hand, and gets that payout, his time toiling in the minors may prove to be shorter than expected for such a raw prospect. Likewise, if he does become one of the faces of MLB’s marketing strategy, which is not outside the realm of possibility given their presence at the meeting, he can earn far more in endorsements. The Major Leagues await, at least if the A’s can come up with the magic number.

Kyler Murray has the Oakland Athletics right where he wants them. And, he may find himself right where he wants to be in short order.