Seattle’s newest signing, Dustin Ackley, expected negotiations to go down to the final minute

Newest Mariner Ackley expected long process

SEATTLE — From the time he was taken with the No. 2 overall pick in June, Dustin Ackley expected the negotiations with the Seattle Mariners to be a drawn out process that took most of the summer.

But up until the final minutes before Tuesday’s 12:01 a.m. EDT deadline?

“I knew this was kind of how it was going to go. I was willing to accept that,” Ackley said on a conference call Tuesday morning. “At the end of the day when it was all said and done, good things were going to happen, and we were going to get a deal done with the Mariners.”

His smooth left-handed swing is now locked up with the Mariners for the next five years, at the cost of at least $7.5 million. The contract also included that Ackley sign a major league contract and be added to the major league roster, a major sticking point during the negotiations between Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik and Ackley’s adviser, Scott Boras.

“It’s real important,” Ackley said. “Anytime you get the opportunity to be on the roster of a major league team … I could never have imagined being on the roster of a team.”

Those final additions to Ackley’s deal stretched the signing process until about 15 minutes before the deadline to get draft picks signed, Zduriencik said.

If Ackley develops into the outfielder the Mariners hope, the strain in getting the deal done was worth it.

“He understood how important it was to be the No. 2 pick in the country. This is a great opportunity for this young man,” Zduriencik said Monday night.

North Carolina’s only three-time baseball All-American and the school’s career batting leader with a .410 average hasn’t played since the College World Series in late June. Ackley said the downtime was needed to decompress from the long college season and allow his surgically repaired right arm more time to heal.

Zduriencik didn’t believe it was an issue that Ackley wouldn’t see any time in the minors this year.

“if you think about it, this kid played deep into June (at the CWS). And him coming off Tommy John surgery, it probably wasn’t a bad thing for him to have this time off,” Zduriencik said.

Ackley had Tommy John ligament replacement surgery before the college season. He played first base for the Tar Heels, but admits his best chances as a pro will be in the outfield.

“I knew it was going to take a while for things to go through,” Ackley said. “In an ideal situation I would have played earlier in the summer but I just had to wait it out.”

The Mariners plan to have Ackley report to their spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz., and likely have him play in the instructional league in Arizona this fall, then report to spring training next February while on the major league roster.

He’s just the third outfielder in 22 years selected first by the Mariners. The other outfielders: Jose Cruz Jr. in 1995 and Ken Griffey Jr., their first overall pick in 1987.

“It’s kind of crazy to think I’m a team’s No. 1 pick,” Ackley said. “I don’t feel much pressure but I know there is some to perform. I hope I’m able to do that and not disappoint anybody.”