Sox Sign Tazawa

It's official, the Sox have signed Junichi Tazawa to a major-league contract.  The deal, worth $3M, places Tazawa on the 40 man roster.  This is the route the Sox took when signing Craig Hansen, for historical reference.

A few representative signing bonuses (ML status could not be determined, but typically most players, even first rounders, do not get Major League contracts) that were meted out to middle/low first round pitching draft picks in the 2007 and 2008 amateur drafts, used for comparison.  Tazawa has been compared to a draftee at this general position.

    2007:

• Blake Beavan, RHP, Texas Rangers, pick 17/30, $1.5M bonus
• Nick Schmidt, LHP, San Diego Padres, pick 23/30, $1.26M bonus
• Rick Porcello, RHP, Detroit Tigers, pick 27/30, $3.58M bonus
• Andrew Brackman, RHP, New York Yankees, pick 30/30, $3.3M bonus.

Porcello and Brackman are outliers, to an extent, high first rounders who dropped on salary expectations. 

    2008:

• Andrew Cashner, RHP, Chicago Cubs, pick 19/30, $1.53M bonus
• Christian Friedrich, LHP, Colorado Rockies, pick 25/30, $1.35M bonus
• Daniel Schlereth, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks, pick 26/30, $1.33M bonus
• Gerrit Cole, RHP, New York Yankees, pick 28/30, unsigned.  Cole somewhat famously rejected the Yankees.  Rumor had it that Cole was looking for $3M as a bonus but "family sources" insisted he was going to choose UCLA no matter the dollars offered.

Cole was another guy who slipped down due to puported salary demands.

Comments

[Atheose]

Count me somewhat excited. All reports (except one) hold him in high regard, and at 1 mil per year it's a cheap investment. Even if he ends up being a reliable bullpen arm by 2011 it will have been worth it.

[Brad]

Yeah, I don't think there is a downside to this, unless of course, he turns into something like Timlin, where you knew when he came in the lead was getting ready to change. ha.

[Paul SF]

If Tazawa turns into Timlin -- i.e., their most dependable reliever for five years -- the Red Sox will have easily recouped their investment.

[Brad]

Ah, smart guy.

I was talking about the 2008 Timlin. Not the awesome athlete in the other 15 or so years. ha.

[Paul SF]

Hehe, it's my one-man mission to reclaim Mike Timlin's legacy, which seems to be suffering worse than George Bush's lately.

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