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As of Wednesday morning, 11 first-round selections had yet to sign -- including picks two, three, four and five -- and this high-stakes game of chicken will likely continue the rest of week. If players don't sign, clubs will receive a compensation pick in next year's Draft, while the players will head back to school, independent ball or simply wait it out until next year's Draft.

Just last week the Brewers signed their top pick, Brett Lawrie, before he jetted off to Beijing to join Team Canada for the Olympics. Whether any of the remaining 11 unsigned first-rounders join him in the ranks of professional baseball this week is anyone's guess. Here's a closer look at who has yet to sign on the dotted line.

2. 3B Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates have taken a great deal of heat for the deals they made at last month's trading deadline despite the fact that the club went along way toward restocking a thin farm system. It would seem logical that, in keeping with that philosophy, they wouldn't let Alvarez escape their grasp.

But Scott Boras is his agent and enough ink has been spilled chronicling his negotiating ploys so we won't go into it here. Both sides have remained mum on the negotiation but don't expect the Bucs to go far over slot on this one. Team president Frank Coonelly seems just as willing to spread the wealth and use all that extra money to sign a few more middle-round draft picks. If Alvarez signs, he'll get a nice deal but probably not the one Boras wants. More >

Just as interesting is what Pittsburgh will do with second-rounder Tanner Scheppers out of Fresno State. The right-hander sat out the last six weeks of the season, including the College World Series, after hurting his shoulder when he was overused. He was a projected first-rounder before getting hurt and has been in Pittsburgh for the last few days for a physical and to throw for the Pirates brass, which he did on Tuesday. The exam and the bullpen session should go a long way in determining whether the Pirates will sign him and how much they will pay.

"[It] looks like the ball is coming out of his hand well," Pirates general manager Neil Huntington said. "He's not 100 percent yet. He's not throwing his bullpens at 100 percent velocity. He's not throwing breaking balls yet. But the signs are definitely positive."

3. 1B Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
Hosmer has a scholarship offer to Arizona State on the table -- a nice option should he not sign. And with Boras in his corner, you know it will go down to the last minute, much like with Alvarez. But the Royals have a history with Boras in similar situations. He negotiated a $5.3 million deal for Luke Hochevar, the top pick in the 2006 Draft, and got Mike Moustakas, last year's third overall selection, a $4 million contract.

One source was "optimistic" that a deal would get done, but when and how close to the deadline had yet to be determined. Hosmer had been playing in an amateur tournament that concluded over the weekend, and it appears negotiations weren't about to get serious until he was through. Don't be surprised if Hosmer signs a deal in the neighborhood of the one Moustakas signed. More >

4. LHP Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles
One source said late last week that the two sides were "not anywhere close to getting anything done, but that doesn't mean they are a long ways apart either." Both sides want to get a deal done, but it appears their talks will be affected by the result of Aaron Crow's negotiations with Washington (see below). It appeared a deal with Matusz would be done early, but talks stalled. Still, the O's signed their eight subsequent picks, leaving only the big one left in the pond. 5. C Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
The Giants have only signed one of their top four picks -- supplemental pick Conor Gillaspie joined the fold this week -- and have been relatively quiet about Posey. The Florida State star is asking for a boatload of money, far more than seems reasonable and far more than the Giants will ultimately pay. The Giants can't afford to let Posey get away, but when he's asking for a reported eight-figure deal, the discussions aren't going to get very far. This one could be an 11th-hour deal -- and don't be surprised if it results in a Major League contract. More >

7. 1B Yonder Alonso, Cincinnati Reds
This one will likely go down to the very last minute as well, if it gets done at all. Don't expect it to be resolved cheaply, either. The Reds are looking to pay slot money, in the $3 million neighborhood, while Alonso is believed to be asking for at least twice that. He told the Miami Herald last week that he was willing to go back to school for another year, "break some records and go back to Omaha [the College World Series] and finish the job. I always said if worse comes to worse, I'm going back to school." Alonso wants close to $7 million, so look for some fireworks on this one before a conclusion is reached. More >

8. SS Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox
Talks between the two sides remain ongoing, and no one has indicated that Beckham won't sign. It's a bit of a gamble on Beckham's part, but it appears he's waiting as long as possible and learning what the market will bear before grabbing what he can from the Sox.

Editor's Note: Gordon Beckham signed Wednesday. More >

9. RHP Aaron Crow, Washington Nationals
The Nationals would've loved to have had Crow in the fold shortly after the Draft and gotten straight to work with him. But he and his reps, the Hendricks brothers, are playing hardball, looking for considerably more than the $2.15 million the club gave Ross Detwiler, last year's first-rounder. This one is contentious, and it doesn't appear the Nats will budge. Crow was talking in the $8-10 million range before the Draft, and that's just not realistic.

He can take his chances and head back to Missouri for another year, but next year's crop of Draft-eligible pitchers is much deeper. Crow has some leverage, but he might just use it to push himself out of a good deal. Washington signed its third- and fourth-round picks earlier this week, but the club has been adamant about not giving out a Major League contract. More >

11. 1B Justin Smoak, Texas Rangers
The domino effect will play a significant role with Smoak, so let's see what happens with Alonso, Posey and Beckham. Sources said late last week that they were "hopeful," but nothing was close enough to call the negotiations optimistic. At least the two sides are still having discussions. More >

20. RHP Josh Fields, Seattle Mariners
Here's another Boras client, and perhaps one of the most perplexing holdouts in the entire Draft. Fields, who was drafted by the Braves in the second round last year but opted not to sign, doesn't have much leverage. He's done with school and indicated, at least in conversations with MLB.com during the College World Series, that he was going to sign quickly and get his career started. There were rumors that he had already signed and both sides were delaying the announcement because he was over slot, but retarding his development for such a reason doesn't make much sense. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out during the week. More >

23. 1B Allan Dykstra, San Diego Padres
It appeared the Padres and Dykstra had a deal in place earlier, with a bonus of nearly $1.5 million on the table. But that was scrapped when San Diego's medical team examined Dykstra's surgically repaired hip and apparently didn't like what they saw. Dykstra had the surgery in high school after developing avascular necrosis and hasn't had a problem since, but the Padres are still cautious. The Wake Forest product went to Dr. Lewis Yocum for a second opinion and was cleared after being examined by Padres doctors. He is also in the Boras stable, so this one should get interesting, particularly since San Diego knows Dykstra isn't entirely opposed to heading back to school. More >

28. RHP Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
Boras rounds out his first-round contingent with this California prep star. While he'd like to think the youngster is worthy of the deal that Rick Porcello signed with the Tigers last year, all reports indicate that his poise, polish and demeanor aren't close to matching those of Porcello. The Bombers have yet to sign any of their top three picks, and if deals are going to get done, it won't be until deep into the week. More >

Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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