Mr. Alvarez, you're up

Now that Tim Beckham, the high school shortstop and No. 1 pick in this year's draft signed with Tampa Bay, the focus now turns to the Pirates and Pedro Alvarez, the No. 2 pick.

Beckham signed Thursday for a $6.15 million signing bonus. It was less than the deal Tampa's No. 1 pick of last year – pitcher David Price – got, but a little more than Beckham was projected to receive.

Part of the reason Beckham signed so fast was so that he could start playing immediately. His career will start at Hunnicutt Field in Princeton, W.Va., home of the Princeton Rays, Tampa's Appalachian League Rookie-level team.

Now the Pirates are up and it will be very interesting to see how Beckham's signing impacts Alvarez. It has been made clear that Alvarez and his agent, Scott Boras, want upwards of $7 million in a signing bonus, which would be a record.

The problem for the Pirates is this: Do they stick to their guns and hold their offer to less than what Beckham received, simply because he was drafted ahead of Alvarez? Or, do they pay above slot, and above the system team president Frank Coonelly put in place when he was with Major League Baseball? And if they do, how will that be looked at by the commissioner's office?

The deadline for Alvarez to sign is Aug. 15.