The Red Sox are hoping to cash in on Prior.
Mark PriorBOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox are the latest team looking to tap into Mark Prior's unrealized potential.
The team signed the 31-year-old pitcher to a minor-league deal on Wednesday, as first reported by CBSSports.com
Prior was once one of the most promising pitchers in baseball, finishing third in Cy Young voting in 2003 after going 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA and 245 strikeouts over 211 innings for the Chicago Cubs, but a series of shoulder injuries quickly derailed his career.
Prior failed to reach 170 innings in any of the three following seasons and hasn't thrown a pitch in the majors since 2006. He threw a total of 24 innings in the minors over the last two seasons pitching for affiliates of the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.
Prior worked out for the Red Sox in April.