The Boston Red Sox had been considered a favorite to land Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo from the start. On Friday they signed him to a deal/
According to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, the Red Sox are set to sign Castillo to a seven-year deal worth $72.5 million. The deal is worth more total money than the one given to Jose Abreu by the Chicago White Sox last year. (six years and $68 million) The first of the seven years includes the remainder of this season.
Sources: Deal between #RedSox, Castillo, when finished, will be 7 yrs., $72.5M, but almost completely backloaded, with little money in ’14.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 22, 2014
With speed and power Castillo could become a dual threat for the Red Sox.
Previously Castillo had expressed an interest in playing at the big league level this year. It is unclear if he has any chance of doing that with the out of contention Red Sox. The Tigers, Phillies, Cubs, Yankees and Mariners were also in on Castillo.
