Although the Boston Red Sox have finally signed Cuban Catcher Aldaberto Ibarra to a minor league contract, a failed physical has significantly reduced the 22-year-old backstop’s signing bonus, according to WEEI’s Alex Speier.
As yet, there is no indication what aspect of the physical might have caused Boston to lower the signing bonus by more than two-thirds.
Originally set to snag more than $3 million when he put pen to paper, Ibarra has reportedly settled for between $700,000 and $800,000 after a minor medical problem left his physical examination coming up short.
Despite this medical road bump, the Red Sox didn’t hesitate to sign the young Cuban, who defected to the United States only last year.
Widely considered by many Cuban baseball authorities to have the requisite skills to thrive behind the big-league dish, Ibarra is known for a quick bat and a strong throwing arm. The latter skill has obvious attraction to the catching-weak Red Sox.
For more information on Ibarra, check out this article published in April: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/384957-red-sox-inking-cuban-adalberto-ibarra-bad-news-for-victor-martinez
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