Texas reportedly offered Purke a $4 million package. Purke's representatives were said to be asking for $6 million.
"It's disappointing," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "We drafted a player we intended to sign, and for all the right reasons. We couldn't make it work."
Purke will now attend Texas Christian University and is not eligle to be re-drafted for two years. The Rangers will recieve the 15th pick in next years First Year Player Draft to compensate for losing this years pick.
"We'd prefer to get [Purke] in a Rangers uniform," Daniels said. "You'd like to add a premium talent, but this was one we couldn't afford to add."
When Purke was initially drafted by Texas and the idea of playing for his home state team (Purke attended Klein High School in Klein, Tx) was thought to appeal greatly to the young pitcher. Purke even went so far as to say he would be an "easy sign." He proved to be anything but.
"The biggest issue was money. The communication was good. Both sides were clear as to what they wanted to do, it just didn't match up. I don't have any issues with how they handled it," Daniels said. "Every player and every family has to make a decision on how they value themselves and what they want to do with their careers. Matthew made a decision and we have no choice but to respect it."
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