Boston Red Sox

Red Sox second-round pick Jud Fabian reportedly won’t sign

The Red Sox will receive a compensatory pick in next year's second round if Fabian refuses to sign.

Jud Fabian Red Sox
Florida outfielder Jud Fabian reportedly won't sign with the Red Sox after they drafted him in the second round. AP Photo/Gary McCullough

By Tom Westerholm

1 minute to read

The Red Sox’s seemingly magical season may have hit a bit of a snag: According to Peter Gammons, Florida outfielder Jud Fabian will not sign after the Red Sox took him in the second round.

Per Gammons, the Red Sox will not offer Fabian $3 million — a number two teams behind the Red Sox were reportedly willing to offer.

The slot value for the No. 40 pick is $1.86 million. The deadline to sign is August 1, so if this is a negotiating tactic by Fabian, the two sides still have some time to come together.

Fabian was considered a first-round talent, and MLB.com’s Jim Callis reported the Red Sox even considered him with the No. 4 pick at the beginning of the year, per NESN. Red Sox scouts began eyeing Fabian when he played in the Cape League prior to his freshman year at Florida.

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“We obviously have experience scouting Jud, really dating back to early in high school,” Red Sox amateur scouting director Paul Toboni told reporters after the draft. “He has been such a unique talent for so long now. Just having the opportunity to select him was obviously a great thing for us.

“It’s funny how five years of scouting him led to this build-up and led to a level of comfort for us that was high.”

Fabian batted .249/.364/.560 last year at Florida — somewhat uninspiring numbers, especially given his high number of strikeouts, but he did hit 20 home runs.

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If Fabian and the Red Sox can’t come to an agreement, the Red Sox will receive the 41st pick in next year’s draft as compensation.

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