Highly touted Cuban defector Rusney Castillo passed his physical and officially signed with the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, the team announced. The outfielder agreed to a seven-year contract worth $72. 5 million, per multiple reports.
Rusney Castillo contract with Red Sox now official
Here are the details of the reported $72.5-million pact.
The Red Sox announced that Castillo, who defected from Cuba in December 2013, will report in the coming days to their “Fenway South” facility in Fort Myers, Fla. to resume baseball activities.
The 27-year-old outfielder hit .319/.383/.516 in 360 games in Cuba and draws comparisons to a young Rajai Davis. The deal he received is the largest ever given to a Cuban defector, beating the $68 million contract Jose Abreu signed with the Chicago White Sox last offseason.
Rusney’s contract is for seven seasons, including 2014. He will be paid a $5.4 million signing bonus, followed by the following yearly salaries, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:
2014: $100,000
2015: $10.5 million
2016: $10.5 million
2017: $10.5 million
2018: $11 million
2019: $11 million
2020: $13.5 million
Castillo can also reportedly opt out of his deal after the end of 2019, one year before the contract ends, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Speed and power potential are the main tools that have drawn scouts to Castillo. He’s been graded as anywhere from a 60 to 80 runner and recently put on an impressive hitting display for scouts, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler.
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