Bush in hand worth two Boras clients

A month before the June 7 draft, the Padres narrowed their candidates for the No. 1 overall pick to three collegians: shortstop Stephen Drew (Florida State) and right-handers Jeff Niemann (Rice) and Jered Weaver (Long Beach State). With six days to go, San Diego general manager Kevin Towers said his club was leaning heavily toward Drew.

The teams picking immediately behind the Padres began to plan accordingly. As late as June 4, Drew still appeared to be San Diego's choice. Then several clubs' draft boards were thrown into chaos with reports that owner John Moores had abruptly decided the Padres wouldn't exceed Major League Baseball's bonus recommendation for the No. 1 slot, believed to be in the neighborhood of $3.5 million.

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