Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez‘s name might start sounding more familiar in Boston.
MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reported earlier this month that the Red Sox were among seven teams interested in the Cuban pitching prospect, and The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo is hearing the same. According to Cafardo, the Red Sox are “extremely interested” in Gonzalez, but “they won’t break the bank for him.”
Cafardo points to the failed Daisuke Matsuzaka era as reasoning for Boston’s hesitancy. And while Gonzalez could be the real deal, teams are reportedly taking notice of the pitcher’s past injuries.
Gonzalez once pitched for Cuba’s national team. He defected from Cuba earlier this year, though, and he’s now starting to become a popular name among pitching prospects. The 26-year-old right-hander is said to throw a fastball in the mid 90s, a changeup, a curveball and a forkball.
Cafardo reports that general manager Ben Cherington and eight Red Sox scouts have watched Gonzalez pitch, although there is expected to be a lot of competition for the pitcher’s services.
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