Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox landed outfielder Rusney Castillo on Friday with a record-setting contract for an international player from Cuba.

In the midst of an extremely disappointing season, the Boston Red Sox are gambling on a better future with the signing of highly touted Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo.

According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, Castillo and the Red Sox have agreed to a seven-year deal, and he is expected to play for Boston during the current campaign:

Updates from Saturday, Aug. 23

The Red Sox confirmed that Castillo had signed: 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports breaks down Castillo's contract:

Original Text

The Boston Red Sox have been one of the worst teams in baseball in 2014, and their offensive ineptitude is a big part of the reason why.

With their playoff hopes dashed long ago, the Boston Red Sox are left to evaluate the players on their roster with an eye toward 2015 for the rest of the season.

That’s a task that will become easier in September, when MLB rosters expand and the Sox are afforded the chance to view more players in a major league setting and to get their ever-increasing pool of young players some experience in the big leagues.

The Boston Red Sox have started the proverbial "turning of the page," as the team looks forward to its chances in the 2015 MLB season.

Boasting one of the deepest and most promising farm systems in all of baseball, the Red Sox can look forward to a bright future. It's made up largely of home-grown talent developed in recent years thanks to the excellent coaching staffs within Boston's minor league affiliates.

Yoenis Cespedes has wasted no time making his presence felt as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

The 2014 season has not gone according to plan for the Boston Red Sox.

Coming off a World Series championship in 2013, many expected the Sox to be right back in the thick of things again this year.

Those dreams came to an end sometime in mid-July, and Boston's inability to compete culminated in a fire sale at the trading deadline.

Now, with a 52-65 record heading into play on August 12, all that’s left is for Boston to evaluate its current roster with an eye toward 2015 and beyond.

July 31 was a significant day in Red Sox history, as the team underwent perhaps the most dramatic makeover in franchise history, undergoing a fire sale once it became clear the team would not contend in 2014.

A fire sale's ultimate goal is to get a team back to contention, but the way general manager Ben Cherington went about it ran counter to most fire sales. Typically, fire sales consist of stripping the major league squad and pinning hopes on the progression of prospects.

Another week is in the books following the July 31 MLB trade deadline, and the Boston Red Sox have enjoyed a little more time to evaluate some of the young talent contained within the organization.

As the news of Boston's recent blockbuster trades begins to settle down, we can shift our focus to the next possible cast of characters that may comprise a Red Sox roster in coming years.