AUG. 9: The Devers signing is now official, as the 16-year-old signed his contract today, according to Badler.
JULY 2: The Red Sox made an international splash today, signing Dominican third baseman Rafael Devers for $1.5MM according to a tweet from Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes. Devers, perhaps the best left-handed hitter on the market, was ranked third among this year's class of international prospects by Baseball America's Ben Badler, and sixth by MLB.com. The Sox also agreed in principle with Venezuelan lefty Emmanuel DeJesus on a deal worth $780K, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.
Devers, 16, has average raw power that could become above-average, according to Badler. He needs work defensively but has an "advanced feel for hitting," writes Badler. DeJesus' stuff has some similarities to Felix Doubront, and Badler noted Boston's interest in the past. MLB.com ranked him 24th, noting that he "could end up in the bullpen one day."
The Red Sox have the seventh-largest international bonus pool at $3,179,900, according to BA. They appear to have about $900K remaining after these two signings.
