Report: Red Sox to sign Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo

The Boston Red Sox emerged as the favorites to land Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo on Friday morning, and they reportedly plan to sign him to an historic contract.

The Red Sox are "on track" to sign Castillo to a six-year, $72-million deal in the next few days, an industry source told told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. Another source told Sanchez that Castillo "remains engaged" with multiple teams and does not have a deal in place.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal also reported the imminent signing, later adding that the contract, when complete, will be for seven years and $72.5 million.

The deal will reportedly be back-loaded, thereby saving the Red Sox money in the short-term and making the contract luxury-tax-friendly.

The agreement would break the previous record for the largest initial free-agent contract signed by an amateur player. That belongs to Chicago White Sox outfielder Jose Abreu, who inked a six-year, $68-million deal last October.

The 27-year-old Castillo, who is known for his blend of speed and power, did not play at the World Baseball Classic in 2013 because of an arm injury, and fled Cuba shortly after. He has not played in a formal league game in about a year and a half.