The Red Sox and first-round pick Jason Groome have agreed to terms on a $3.65MM signing bonus, reports Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (via Twitter). The agreement, which is pending a physical, comes less than 24 hours before the deadline to sign 2016 draft picks.
Groome, selected at with the No. 12 overall pick, will receive $457K above his $3.192MM slot value. However, there was some trepidation as to whether he’d sign (or at least as to how much he’d sign for), as the high school lefty was reported to have an agreement in place to go to the Padres at No. 24 for a $5MM bonus. That caused teams to pass on him early in the draft — he was once looked at as a potential first overall pick and later a potential top five selection — but the Sox snagged him at No. 12 anyway despite likely knowing they would be unable to meet that price.
Adding Groome to the system gives Boston a top-end talent to add to its minor league ranks. He rated as the top prospect in this year’s draft class in the estimation of Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, while ESPN’s Keith Law rated him second overall and Baseball America ranked him as the draft’s No. 3 prospect. While there have been some negative reports on Groome’s makeup, the scouting reports on him are excellent. Law writes that Groome has the best high school curveball he’s seen since Lucas Giolito, while Callis and Mayo write that the 6’6″, 220-pounder “has everything to be a top-of-the-rotation left-handed starting pitcher,” with a 92-93 mph heater, the aforementioned curveball and a sparsely used changeup for which he shows good feel. BA agreed and praised his “sound delivery” and the necessary strength to repeat his mechanics well.
Beyond Groome, Callis reports (via Twitter) that the Sox have also reached an over-slot agreement with fifth-rounder Mike Shawaryn. The right-hander from Maryland will receive a $637,500 bonus that significantly outpaces his $375,500 slot. Shawaryn rated 77th on BA’s Top 500, 91st on Law’s Top 100 and 139th on MLB.com’s Top 200, with the various scouting reports on the Terrapin righty noting that a down season caused his stock to tumble from a potential first- or second-round pick to the middle rounds. However, the over-slot deal will convince the college junior from taking his chance at a stronger senior season that could’ve rebuilt some of his draft value.
Callis also reports (via Twitter) that Boston also inked fourth-rounder Bobby Dalbec — a third baseman out of Arizona — for a $650K bonus that tops his $501,300 slot. Dalbec came in at No. 88 on MLB.com’s Top 200 and No. 118 on BA’s Top 500.
That’s it? All the going back and forth?
Makes the Pomeranz deal pretty nice for Boston. They pretty much replace what they lost.
YES!!!!!
This is HUGE… Groome may be the next Kershaw and now he’s a Red Sock!
Years of domination from my Sox are on the way.
^hahahahahahhahahahahaha RedSox fans!!
Right, he’s totally a Red Sox fan and it isn’t just some tongue in cheek troll account.
The next Kershaw? Good luck.
Read the scouting reports buddy
scouting reports don’t make a player Clayton kershaw buddy. take your trolling to another site
When did I say he was the next Kershaw? I said he MAY be the next Kershaw, and the scouting reports certainly tell us that he has the stuff to eventually be a best pitcher in baseball type.
Oh you silly troll
Stop trolling. You are just another BigPapiForever. You make people dislike Red Sox fans.
Haha this is classic
Stop, or you’re going to get banned again.
Slow down we’ll be lucky if he’s the next Lester ok I can live with that
Are you bigpapi4ever?
Cause craig hansen who the red sox drafted in 2005 was said teams could move him to the rotation cause he has #1 stuff worked out like the scoutong report said. Hes been a no.1 with that stuff for years.
baseballamerica.com/online/2005draft/sr_newyork.ht…
This site needs an automated script that will ban anyone who uses the phrase “my Sox”.
Now I will breath. Good job DD with the signing and trade.
After loosing Espinosa Groome and Kopech should jump ump in prospect status
got to give the Red Sox credit there…Dalbec hasnt signed yet, right?
Sox fans getting worried he hadn’t been signed with under a day left.
-@greenmonsternews (Instagram)
Groome, Moncada, Benintendi
For
Markakis and Pierzynski
Seems fair
Sure you dont want devers and kopesh for jim johnson too?
Adding Jim Johnson would require at least one of Bogaerts and Betts.
Did you hear, Groome has already been placed in the top 10 by Baseball America and Law has him the number 2 prospect in baseball
Good that he signed looks like he has good raw stuff and also the Sox signed Dalbec. He is real young but does have TOR stuff hopefully the Sox can develop him. They haven’t had a lot of luck with pitchers in a while. Now that they don’t have Espinosa it’s good to have another potentially TOR arm.