The Red Sox came to terms with close to 70 international prospects during the 2017-2018 signing period, and this year, the club is once again a big player on the market.
According to industry sources, the Red Sox agreed to a $1.15 million deal with outfielder Eduardo Lopez of the Dominican Republic, ranked No. 23 on MLB.com's Top 30 International Prospects list. The Red Sox have not confirmed the deal.
:: 2018 International Signing Period ::
Lopez is viewed as a skilled prospect with emerging tools. He has shown improvement in his overall game and increased strength in the last several months.
A switch-hitting center fielder, Lopez might be a better overall hitter from the left side of the plate, but he has shown more power from the right side. He has shown flashes of power in games. On defense, he has shown good defensive actions with a playable arm.
According to the rules established by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, clubs that received a Competitive Balance Pick in Round B of the MLB Draft received a pool of $6,025,400, while clubs that received a Competitive Balance Pick in Round A of the Draft received $5,504,500. All other clubs, including the Red Sox, received $4,983,500.
Teams are allowed to trade as much of their international pool money as they would like, but can only acquire 75 percent of a team's initial pool amount. Additionally, signing bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count toward a club's bonus pool, and foreign professional players who are at least 25 and have played in a foreign league for at least six seasons are also exempt.