Red Sox top five International signings in franchise history
The top five International free agent signings in Boston Red Sox history includes a pair of infielders who make up the pillars of the team’s current core.
The Boston Red Sox don’t have the best track record of drafting players in recent years but there are other ways to find prospects. The international market provides a great source for talent and the Red Sox have had success scouting players from various countries.
Some of those international prospects have gone on to play pivotal roles for this organization. Others have been used as trade chips to acquire star talent. Either way, they have provided value to the Red Sox.
Boston has a rich history of international stars. From Cuban pitcher Luis Tiant in the 1970s to the Dominican trio of David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez in the 2000s, some of the greatest teams in franchise history have been led by stars who originated from other countries.
None of those players were originally singed by the Red Sox out of their native countries though. This list aims to rank to best players this organization has signed on the international market before they reached the big leagues. That also would exclude a player like Eduardo Rodriguez, who made his major league debut with the Red Sox but was signed in 2010 by the Baltimore Orioles and later traded to Boston.
These are the five best international prospects signed by the Red Sox.
Daisuke Matsuzaka
If this list was based on the amount of hype leading to their arrival, Daisuke Matsuzaka would be at the top. Dice-K Mania was in full force when the Red Sox signed the Japanese star pitcher in 2007.
The Red Sox first had win a blind auction which cost them a $51.1 million posting fee in order to gain exclusive rights to negotiate with the Japanese right-hander. Boston then inked Matsuzaka to a 6-year, $52 million deal.
Dice-K was a legend in Japan with a full arsenal of pitches at his disposal, including the mystifying “gyro-ball” that captivated the interest of fans who were eager to see him on the mound.
Expectations were unrealistically high for a pitcher who had never faced major league-level talent. Under the circumstances, Matsuzaka’s debut season was fairly solid. He won 15 games with a 4.40 ERA and finished fourth on the Rookie of the Year ballot.
Dice-K was also a key part of the Red Sox rotation when they won the World Series in his rookie year. He earned the win in the decisive Game 7 of the ALCS and in Game 3 of the World Series, logging at least five innings in each of those starts while limiting the opponent to only a pair of runs.
2008 was a breakout year for Matsuzaka. He was 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA to earn a fourth-place finish on the AL Cy Young ballot.
The heavy workload and high pitch counts he was known for in Japan eventually caught up with him and injuries spoiled the remainder of his career. Dice-K made no more than 12 starts and pitched fewer than 60 innings in three of his final four seasons in Boston. He owned a 5.53 ERA over that span, culminating in a brutal 8.28 ERA over 11 starts in 2012.
Matsuzaka spent two underwhelming seasons with the New York Mets before retiring after the 2014 season.
Overall, Matsuzaka’s tenure with the Red Sox was a disappointment amplified by the amount of hype that followed him here. His solid first two seasons and contributions to a championship get him on this list.
Yoan Moncada
Boston shattered the previous record for an international amateur player when they signed Yoan Moncada to a $31.5 signing bonus in 2015. He barely played for the Red Sox but the Moncada signing would lead to a franchise-altering move.
Moncada was the best prospect in baseball in 2016 when he made his debut with the Red Sox. He appeared in only eight games, struggling mightily to the tune of a .211 average with 12 strikeouts in 19 at-bats. The profile of a five-tool talent was clearly recognizable but the holes in his swing proved he wasn’t ready to contribute to a championship team yet.
Boston was in win-now mode, so they used Moncada as the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal that acquired Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox.
The move paid immediate dividends, as Sale gave the Red Sox a legitimate Cy Young contender to anchor their rotation and helped deliver a World Series title in 2018.
Moncada continued to have some growing pains in his early years in Chicago, struggling to keep his average above .230 and leading the majors in strikeouts in 2018.
Last year was the breakout the White Sox were waiting for when they surrendered their ace to get Moncada. He hit .315 with a .915 OPS, 25 home runs and 79 RBI. The 24-year old is showing signs of becoming the star he was expected to be when he signed with the Red Sox.
Rafael Devers
Rafael Devers was only 16 years old when he signed out of the Dominican Republic for a $1.5 million bonus in 2013. That seems strange considering the baby-face third baseman still looks like a 16-year old kid out there having fun on the field but in reality, Devers has developed into a 23-year old star.
Devers was one of the top prospects in the Red Sox farm system and among the top dozen position players in baseball by 2016. He flashed his potential in an abbreviated rookie season, hitting .284 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI in 58 games. It was enough service time to exceed his rookie limits but not enough of an opportunity to factor in the Rookie of the Year race.
His first full season was a bit of a roller coaster for Devers. His home run and RBI totals more than doubled, along with his playing time, but he hit a meager .240 and his glove was a disaster in the field.
Devers showed progress as the season went along and he was great in the postseason as the Red Sox captured another World Series title in 2018. His emergence set the stage for a career year last season.
In 2019, Devers hit .311 with a .916 OPS, 32 home runs and 115 RBI. He led the majors with 54 doubles and became the youngest players in franchise history with a 200-hit season.
One productive season isn’t enough to launch Devers to the top of the list but he’s far from his peak and will only get better. He has the potential to be the best international signing in franchise history but he’s not there yet.
Hanley Ramirez
Fans may cringe at the mention of Hanley Ramirez and wonder what one of the most disastrous free agent signings in franchise history is doing on this list. However, this isn’t about Hanley’s disappointing tenure when he returned to the organization in 2015. When Ramirez was signed as a 16-year old from the Dominican Republic, he quickly developed into an elite prospect.
Ramriez was the most highly touted prospect in the Red Sox farm system when he made his big league debut in 2005. He struck out in his only two plate appearances but his value had little to do with what he did on the field.
Boston used Ramirez as the centerpiece of a trade with the Florida Marlins that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox. Both veterans were instrumental in delivering a World Series championship in 2007.
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Meanwhile, Ramirez emerged as one of the league’s most exciting young stars in Florida. He won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2006 and followed with three consecutive All-Star appearances from 2008-2010. He produced a 30/30 season in 2008 to capture his first Sliver Slugger. Hanley earned another of those awards the following season while winning a batting title and finishing second on the NL MVP ballot.
Ramirez struggled with hamstring injuries that sapped him of the elite base-running speed that was a staple of his early years, leading to a couple of sup-par seasons. He rejuvenated his career following a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers and capitalized with a lucrative free agent deal with the Red Sox that they would quickly regret.
Some of the younger players on this list have the ability to surpass Ramirez some day but based on his peak, Hanley arguably had the most productive career of anyone signed by the Red Sox on the international market. He just didn’t deliver that production in Boston.
Xander Bogaerts
The Red Sox signed 16-year old Xander Bogaerts from Aruba in 2009. Within a few years, Bogaerts was part of a loaded crop of young shortstops. MLB.com’s Prospect Watch in 2013 included Bogaerts, Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez and Carlos Correa among their top 10 prospects!
Bogaerts got called up at the end of that 2013 season and ended up taking over the starting job at third base during Boston’s run to the World Series.
The position change was only temporary and Bogaerts returned to his natural shortstop position during the 2014 season. Shortstop had been a revolving door that the Red Sox struggled to fill since trading Nomar Garciaparra in 2004 but Bogaerts ended that line of futility by holding down the position since reclaiming it six years ago.
Bogaerts is a three-time Silver Slugger and two-time All-Star. He’s the fourth players in franchise history to record 500+ RBI before the age of 27.
Last season was a career year for Bogaerts. He hit .309 with a .939 OPS, 33 home runs, and 117 RBI. Bogaerts led the majors with 85 extra-base hits and finished fifth on the AL MVP ballot.
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The Red Sox have Bogaerts locked up on a team-friendly extension through 2025. He’s already been one of the most productive international signings in franchise history and he’ll continue to add to that legacy.