The Red Sox are interested in Rafael Devers, a 16-year-old third baseman and left-handed bat from the Dominican Republic, a source confirmed to MassLive.com on Wednesday.
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox are hot on Rafael Devers, a 16-year-old third baseman and left-handed bat from the Dominican Republic, a baseball source told MassLive.com on Wednesday.
Scout.com's Kiley McDaniel first reported the Red Sox's interest Devers. Perfect Game describes Devers, who's 6-foot, 195 pounds, as possessing "a very mature feel" for hitting" with "outstanding bat speed for his age" and someone "who will get very serious attention as a hitter."
Devers cannot sign with a major league organization until the 2013-14 international signing period begins July 2. His birthday is Oct. 24, 1996.
The Red Sox have an ample amount of money to spend on international talent in the upcoming signing period. Devers could command around $1 million, according to the Scout.com report.
How much money teams are allotted per signing period is based on the inverse order of the prior season records, and the Sox were tied for the sixth-worst record in the majors last season, 69-93. The most a team could have exceeds $4 million — not including the potential to trade away or for cap room, which exists — and the Sox figure to be around $3 million before they would incur penalties.
Unlike the Rule 4 draft in June, teams can spend their pool of money how they please. More information on the international signing period can be found here.
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