The Boston Red Sox landed the services of Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo,
agreeing to a seven-year, $72.5 million contract, a team source told
ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes on Friday.
Castillo, 27, will join the team this season, the source added, and is
expected to undergo a physical in Boston on Saturday.
He will be added to an outfield that already includes another Cuban defector,
Yoenis Cespedes.
Boston had been jockeying with the Detroit Tigers to acquire Castillo,
according to league sources. The Tigers, who have fallen behind the
first-place Kansas City Royals in the AL Central, were looking for a
replacement for center fielder Austin Jackson, who was traded to the Seattle
Mariners as part of the three-way deal in which Detroit acquired left-handed
ace David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays last month.
At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Castillo isn't a pure masher in the mold of Jose
Abreu or Cespedes. But his power/speed combo has drawn comparisons to Andrew
McCutchen and Yasiel Puig.
Although he played the infield at times in Cuba and took ground balls at
shortstop during his workout, his best position is center field, and that's
where Boston is likely to play him. Because he is older than 23 and played
five seasons professionally in Cuba, he is exempt from international
signing-bonus pools. Castillo is represented by Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports.
http://ppt.cc/IO7z