Top draft pick Bush signs with San Diego

San Diego — Shortstop Matt Bush, the first player taken in the baseball draft, signed a deal with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday that includes a $3.15 million signing bonus.

“This is a great day for both the Padres and Matt Bush,” scouting director Bill Gayton said. “It’s always a goal to sign as many of your top selections as possible and now, just a day after completing the draft, we’re off to a tremendous start.”

Bush, who starred at San Diego’s Mission Bay High, was the first high school shortstop taken with the top pick since Settle took Alex Rodriguez in 1993. He also was just the second San Diego native to be selected by the Padres with their No. 1 pick.

Bush is expected to take batting practice with the Padres prior to their home game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Tuesday, then report to the Padres’ rookie-level affiliate in Peoria, Ariz., two days later.

Selig: Baseball not likely to expand playoffs

St. Petersburg, Fla. — Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has changed his thinking on the merits of expanding the playoffs.

“We had a serious discussion this past winter. I went into it thinking I want to add two more teams. But the more I looked at it, the more we talked about it, it was so great last October, this time I’m not sure,” Selig said before Wednesday night’s game between the San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

“Everybody is kind of convinced that we’ll just let it sit and leave it as it is. Last October was so good, I’m not quite certain that we want to change it.”

Selig visited Tropicana Field as part of plans to spend time with every major league club this season.

He spoke with reporters on a broad range of issues ranging from the relocation of the Montreal Expos to future sites for All-Star games.

A decision on the Expos is expected this summer. Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia are considered to be the front-runners.

Cuban player defects to U.S.

Havana — First baseman and outfielder Kendry Morales, considered by some to be Cuba’s top young player, has defected to the United States.

U.S. immigration officials in Miami confirmed Wednesday that Morales had arrived in the United States and was allowed to stay.

“Kendry called home on Tuesday, he said he was well, that he arrived in the United States, and that we should not worry,” said his stepfather, Henry Nunez. “He didn’t say exactly where he was, only that he was calm and now what he wants to do more than anything is play baseball.”

Morales, a switch-hitter, is said to be 20. Nunez said it was his stepson’s eighth attempt to leave Cuba.

“The circumstances made him do it,” the stepfather said.

The Spanish-language newspaper El Nuevo Herald of Miami reported Wednesday that Morales and 18 others left Cuba over the weekend aboard a boat bound for South Florida.