Most everyone in baseball knew it was going to take a pretty big chunk of change to keep Blaze Jordan away from attending Mississippi State, a program he had committed to in 8th-grade.
The Red Sox found the right figure.
According to a major league source, the Sox' third-round pick in this year's Draft has agreed to sign with the team for a signing bonus worth $1.75 million. The agreement is well beyond what was slotted for the 89th overall pick ($667,990). MassLive was first to report the deal.
Jordan is a 17-year-old power-hitting third baseman who also plays first, having made a name for himself with a 500-foot home run in a competition at the age of 13 years old. He most recently was put on the national stage by claiming a victory in last All-Star Weekend's High School Home Run Derby in Cleveland.
It believed the Red Sox have agreements with their other four draft picks -- Nick Yorke, Jeremy Wu-Yelland, and Shane Drohan. Yorke is expected to sign for under slot value assigned for the No. 17 overall pick ($3.61 million), with Drohan -- a pitcher from Florida State -- locking in on an over-slot deal.