Oakland Athletics Counting on Kyler Murray for Spring Training

Oakland Athletics officials express hope that their star two-sport prospect will report to spring camp when it opens in mid-February

When spring training camp opens in February, the Oakland Athletics remain hopeful that Kyler Murray will be there.

A’s officials made that plain Friday on the eve of the first day of their weekend FanFest. The key word, however, may be “hope.”  Neither A’s field manager Bob Melvin nor general manager David Forst indicated they had a commitment in hand.

“As we’re sitting here right now, we expect him to be in spring training,” Melvin told the Associated Press. Added Forst, “we’d love to have him…we’re hoping he’s there.”

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Murray, of course, may have other plans. Since being drafted ninth overall by the A’s last June, he received a $4.66 million bonus, of which $1.5 million has already been distributed.  That was done with the understanding that Murray would play last season and then give up football.

However, nobody counted on Murray winning the Heisman Trophy and raising his NFL draft stock to potential first-round level. Now the question is whether Murray will keep his baseball commitment or pursue football seriously.

Murray has already filed papers making himself eligible for the NFL draft, but that step in and of itself does not bind him to anything. Some NFL scouts have been reported as labeling Murray a potential first round selection, although at just 5-9 and 180 pounds he does not come close to fitting the standard NFL quarterback profile.

Two of the best known draft analysts, ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, have both labeled Murray a first round pick. In its most recent mock draft, NBC slots Murray going 13th overall to Miami. CBS mock draft analysts agree that Murray would be no worse than a mid-first round selection.

That could mean big money to Murray. The 13th pick in last year’s NFL draft, Da’Ron Payne, signed a four-year, $14.4 million deal with the Washington Redskins.

Murray’s first decision day is Feb. 15, the day the A’s opening training camp in Mesa, Az. The NFL draft itself isn’t conducted until April, and it’s not out of the question that Murray might wait to see where he’s drafted and what the NFL’s best offer is before deciding.

There is, however, a combine scheduled for Feb. 26  to March 4 at which draft prospects such as Murray could be evaluated. Would the Oakland Athletics allow Murray to leave spring camp in order to attend that combine? “That’s not something we’ve discussed,” A’s Vice President of Baseball Operations Billy Beane told mlb.com.

Obviously if Murray signed with an NFL team he would be obligated to reimburse the A’s the $1.5 million he’s already received. Obviously, too, the A’s would rather have the player.

“We made it clear to Kyler how much we’d like to have him here and how great a baseball player we think he could be,” Forst said.