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The 2015-16 international free agency period began Thursday. The Boston Red Sox, who are hamstrung this year after blowing past their allotted budget during the 2014-15 period, have been busy.
The Red Sox agreed to sign Venezuelan outfielders Albert Guaimaro and Simon Muzziotti for $300,000 each, industry sources told MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. Boston also agreed to sign Venezuelan shortstop Eduardo Torrealba for $300,000, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler.
Guaimaro, 16, was ranked No. 14 on MLB.com’s Top 30 International Prospects list. The 5-foot-10 outfielder has been listed between 188 and 210 pounds. He’s very athletic and physically advanced, with some scouts telling Sanchez he could be the top player from Venezuela in this year’s class. Guaimaro is considered an aggressive hitter.
Muzziotti, 16, is known for his defensive prowess in center field. The 6-foot, 165-pound prospect was ranked the No. 24 international prospect, according to Baseball America. He is considered to have above-average speed despite below-average power. One scout compared Muzziotti to a young Jacoby Ellsbury, according to Sanchez, and there’s apparently hope he could develop into a similar player.
Torrealba, 16, is listed at just 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds. According to Badler, he’s a smart, instinctive player with the ability to use the whole field. He’s reportedly an average runner who might end up at second base.
The Red Sox can’t spend more than $300,000 on any one player during the current international signing period or the next because they splurged last signing period and inked right-handers Christopher Acosta ($1.5 million signing bonus) and Anderson Espinoza ($1.8 million). Those deals were an appetizer to signing Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada to a $31.5 million bonus in spring training.
The Red Sox entered this international signing period with a $3,681,000 total budget. As such, they still can be active. It’s just surprising the Sox were able to land a few highly regarded prospects for their $300,000, single-player maximum, as the players might have been able to land more elsewhere.
