Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Red Sox Officially Make $5 Million Decision After Latest Move

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 11:30 AM ET

The Boston Red Sox scouting department has been one of the best in Major League Baseball over the past few years, and that was evident during the 2025 MLB draft.

In the first round, the Red Sox came out with Kyson Witherspoon, a right-hander who many considered to be the top college arm in the nation this past year.

While the expectation was for Witherspoon to sign quickly, this has already occurred. According to Jim Callis of MLB.com, Witherspoon and the Red Sox have agreed on a $5 million deal, just shy of the $5.1 million slot value.

“No. 15 overall pick Kyson Witherspoon signs w/@RedSox for $5 million (slot value = $5,114,200). @OU_Baseball, best college RHP in @MLBDraft, fastball to 99 mph, one of best curves in Draft, slider & cutter are weapons too,” Callis wrote.

Some have speculated that a few of the Red Sox's top draft prospects could make their debuts much quicker than baseball typically sees.

For Witherspoon, if his fastball continues to dominate hitters, running it up to nearly 100 miles per hour, there's a very good chance he’ll have an opportunity to play at the highest level sometime in the near future.

During his time at Oklahoma, the right-hander posted an impressive 2.65 ERA and struck out 124 hitters last season. He struck out 90 hitters in his first season.

It remains uncertain what the Red Sox plan is for the Oklahoma product, but it's possible that they won't have him throw too much during the remainder of the summer.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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