The Red Sox have gone out on a huge limb and haven taken a chance on 27-year-old Rusney Castillo, signing him to the largest contract for an international player from Cuba. Currently, the Sox have little to lose, as they rest dead last in the American League East, and have been lax on spending this off-season.
Friday proved to be different, the Sox pulled the trigger and signed Castillo to a 7-year $72.5 million deal. Castillo had caught the attention of many teams, most notably the Detroit Tigers, who had plans on using him in the pennant race.
Castillo will undergo a physical in Boston on Saturday, and while he can immediately play, the chances of that are slim considering the fact he has not played competitively in more than a year after he defected from Cuba.
Castillo is repped by Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports, and comes in as at 5’9″ 205 pounds, known more for his speed than his power at the plate. The righty will be an asset in the spacious outfield of Fenway, and has an energy comparable to that of fellow teammate Shane Victorino and Yankees’ outfielder Brett Gardner.
Castillo is the latest crop of Cuban born players to command the attention of MLB, the only question now is can he live up to the hype. The $72.5 million deal will bring him an annual salary of $10.35 million and is heavily backloaded. The Red Sox are making an investment in the future, and have sense shockwaves through the sport in their quest to rebuild.
Here’s come highlights. Welcome to the Majors, Rusney.