MLB Draft & playing till Deadline

I have seen club's come to terms with drafted players after following them in summer leagues.

Yes, although with today's draft rules there is far less monetary leverage that a player has. The old "draft and follow" was eliminated several years ago by a hard deadline and now is almost taken away completely with the spending limitations on teams. But in some instances, post-draft performances can certainly impact a team's offer. It's really a case-by-case thing, though.

A few years ago a player went to the Cape League after turning down what he was offered as a 10th round pick. When he hit .140 on the Cape the team took the offer off the table. This was when the deadline was in August. It didn't really hurt his draft status the following year. He was drafted in the 11th round. He was released after a very poor full season A year.

Likewise, there were several players on the Cape this year who chose not to sign, but after a few appearances were signed. My son played with multiple players who were drafted, but chose not to sign for one reason or another.

There are also a few guys every year on the Cape who aren't drafted, but sign as FA after a few appearances. The Red Sox have a catcher named Dan Butler, who made his first MLB appearance on Sunday. As a post Junior on the Cape, got signed by the Red Sox as a FA and has made his way through the minors. I actually shed a tear in his first AB, as my son worked out with him in the offseason a couple of times.