The Houston Astros selected shortstop Carlos Correa first overall on Monday in the 2012 MLB draft. They officially agreed to a contract on Thursday. I don't know if this is the smoothest contract negotiations have ever gone for a high pick, but if there have been smoother cases, they weren't smoother by much.

Astros announce they have signed No. 1 pick Carlos Correa.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 7, 2012

Rumor has it that Correa signed for $4.8 million, which would follow earlier speculation. If true, that means the Astros have an extra $2.4 million to spend on the rest of their top picks, because the slot value for the first pick this year was $7.2 million. The Astros took Correa knowing he would sign for less than slot, which allowed the Astros to take the talented but potentially expensive Lance McCullers later on. New draft rules, and all that.

With Correa under contract, he'll report somewhere shortly. When amateur players get drafted, a lot of them say they can't wait to begin their professional careers. Carlos Correa's professional career has begun.