Boston's bold strategy

Of all the Boston Red Sox's shiny new additions, none are more intriguing than Cuban imports Rusney Castillo and Yoan Moncada.

What makes the duo so intriguing is the gobs of money Boston spent to acquire them despite their lack of major league experience. The Red Sox committed over $135 million to both before either played an inning of professional baseball in the United States. The last time Boston splurged so much for international talent was when it poured over $100 million into Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006. The purported Japanese ace bombed, averaging fewer than 20 starts per season while compiling an ugly 4.52 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in six disappointing seasons with the Sox.

But pitchers, by the sheer nature of what they do, are always risky investments. Castillo and Moncada are position players, and up-the-middle ones at that. Because they play demanding defensive spots on the diamond, they can still be key contributors even with so-so offensive numbers.

Right now, it's hard to predict what kind of impact they'll have at the major league level. All we know is that they're toolsy players on whom Boston spent a lot of money, so we should expect them to be good.

(They better be good).

The Red Sox made (presumably) their last big splash of a busy offseason not by trading for Cliff Lee or Cole Hamels to bolster their mediocre rotation, but by signing Moncada on Fed. 23. The 19-year-old Cuban infield prospect cost Boston $63 million -- a huge investment in a teenager who's never had a whiff of American baseball. But hey, it's not my money. The Red Sox can afford to make these kinds of gambles. That's the benefit of being one of the richest teams in baseball. If Moncada develops into the star many think he'll become, then he'll be worth every cent.

By all accounts, Moncada is a physically gifted young man with a bright future ahead of him. An athletic switch-hitter, he's capable of playing second base, shortstop, and third base as well as the outfield. That kind of versatility is ideal, for he can easily switch positions if Pablo Sandoval eats himself out of the league or Xander Bogaerts never pans out. It would also make him an attractive trade chip for a team in need of young talent (looking at you, Ruben Amaro Jr.).

Moncada won't be ready for some time, but Castillo may already be a finished product at age 27. With their season going south last summer, the Red Sox inked Castillo to a seven-year, $72.5 million deal on Aug. 23. He made a brief cameo at season's end, playing in 10 of Boston's final 11 games. Castillo shined in his cup of coffee, batting .333/.400/.528 with two home runs and six RBIs. Granted, it was only 40 plate appearances, but Castillo's success was nevertheless encouraging.

The center field job appears to be his after Jackie Bradley, Jr. proved incompetent at the plate last year, hitting an abysmal .198/.265/.266 and ranking dead-last in offensive value among players with at least 400 plate appearances, according to FanGraphs. Castillo can't possibly be any worse than Bradley was last year, but that's not saying much. He should be a serviceable player at the very least, with Steamer projecting him to be worth 2.3 WAR this year. That's good, but hardly great.

I would have rather seen Boston invest that money on established major league talent than risk it on a pair of untested prospects. $135 million is more than most teams' payrolls, so I just can't see how this was the best way to spend it.