Red Sox announce signings of five draftees (UPDATED)

The Red Sox announced the signings of five members of their 2015 draft class today, including three players who were selected in the top 10 rounds. Seventh-round pick Ben Taylor (pictured), ninth-rounder Tucker Tubbs, and 10th-rounder Mitchell Gunsolus will all have their bonuses count against the team's draft cap, though the amounts of their bonuses have not yet been reported. All three players were college seniors, so the Red Sox figure to save a decent amount of money with these three players.

11:45 UPDATE: According to the MLB.com signings tracker, Taylor and Gunsolus each signed for $10,000, while Tubbs signed for $5,000. In total, the Red Sox saved $506,700 against their draft signing cap, which would make up most of the difference between the reported $725,000 bonus that eighth-round pick Logan Allen will receive and the $175,100 slot value for that pick.

Matt Kent and Chad De La Guerra, who were drafted in the 13th and 17th rounds respectively, also signed, and all five players are expected to begin their careers with Lowell. Kent and De La Guerra's bonuses will only count against the draft cap if the amount is greater than $100,000, which is unlikely as De La Guerra was a college senior and Kent was a junior who did not make Baseball America or Perfect Game USA's top 500 pre-draft rankings. 

SoxProspects.com's current projections for Lowell have Gunsolus as the starting third baseman, Tubbs as the designated hitter, and De La Guerra as a backup middle infielder, with Taylor and Kent coming out of the bullpen. The team is likely to receive some more reinforcements soon as General Manager Ben Cherington hinted that first-round pick Andrew Benintendi and fourth-rounder Tate Matheny are close to signing, and both are likely to start with the Spinners who open their season on Friday. 

Be sure to keep an eye on our Draft History page, which will be updated as signings and bonus amounts become official.

Photo Credit: Ben Taylor by usajaguars.com.

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