The Red Sox now have just two of the draft picks in the first 10 rounds left unsigned, as Arizona State shortstop Deven Marrero agreed to terms with the Red Sox, according to Jim Callis. The #24 pick in the draft inked for $2.05 million, more than the $1.75 million that the #24 pick in the draft was recommended to sign for, but that's not a surprise as he was a top five draft prospect heading into the year, and still a surprise to drop all the way to #24 even after a slow spring at the plate.
Marrero has a high floor, thanks to a plus glove at shortstop, but there are differing opinons out there on just how valuable he could end up being. Keith Law rated him as the #4 prospect in Boston's system, Baseball America's Ben Badler thinks he's in the 7-10 range, while Jason Parks, Kevin Goldstein, and Chris Mellen all think he's towards the back-end of the top 11, if not ranked a little worse, in Mellen's case*. It all comes down to his bat, but no one disagrees about whether or not he's a good prospect, as any shortstop with expectations to make the majors would be.
*To read more on their thoughts, check out "Where Does Deven Marrero Fit In Boston's Farm Rankings"
The Red Sox are now $331,700 over their allotted draft budget for the first 10 rounds. The two remaining picks are Brian Johnson and Austin Maddox, both of Florida, and the hold up on their end is the College World Series. Johnson is expected to sign under slot, but even if they paid both players exact slot value for their respective placement ($1,575,000 and $400,500), Boston wouldn't be penalized by going over budget. If they outspend their allotted pool by five percent, there would be a 75 percent tax on the extra, but that gives the Red Sox $344,200 room of cushion before incurring a penalty.
Signing Johnson under slot would help for freeing up money for bonuses over $100,000 to picks past the 10th round, though -- bonuses exceeding that amount after round 10 are count against the draft budget imposed on those selections. Righty and 15th-round selection Carson Fulmer is one such player, as he's set to go to Vanderbilt but could be persuaded to sign for the right price. Expect to see Johnson's deal structured with this purpose in mind.