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Report: A's could guarantee Murray more money to choose baseball

Michael Zagaris / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Oakland Athletics could rework Kyler Murray's contract to keep him in baseball. The A's are considering offering the Heisman Trophy winner more guaranteed money to honor his baseball deal and not declare for the NFL draft, league sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Oakland would have to add Murray to the 40-man roster to make such changes. An MLB rule prevents draftees from signing major-league deals but Murray already signed his minor-league contract in June. The Athletics would thus be permitted to alter Murray's deal - provided there was no agreement to do so before his first contract, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

If an agreement is reached, Murray will have four minor-league option years instead of the usual three, Morosi adds. Murray would then be out of options after 2022 and would be subject to waivers to stay in the minors.

Oakland reps traveled to Dallas to meet with the two-sport star on Sunday ahead of Monday's deadline to declare for the NFL draft. After he initially committed to a career in baseball, it had recently surfaced that Murray was leaning towards football despite his original agreement with the A's.

Murray and his camp have not made any specific financial demands or requests during talks with the A's, sources tell Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

After selecting Murray with the ninth overall pick in last summer's draft, the Athletics agreed to a deal that included a $4.66-million signing bonus while also allowing him to play one final season as the quarterback for the University of Oklahoma.

The 21-year-old went on to have an incredible campaign that culminated in winning the Heisman Trophy, clouding his future in the process.

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