BOSTON (AP) – First-round draft pick Craig Hansen agreed Monday to a $4 million, four-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.

The right-handed closer from St. John’s, selected 26th overall in last month’s amateur draft, was the last of Boston’s 16 picks to sign. The Red Sox added him to the 40-man roster and sent him to the team’s spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., for workouts and conditioning. Boston has not said where he will be assigned after that.

The Red Sox have had bullpen problems most of the season. Reliever Matt Mantei, who had season-ending surgery last week to repair ligament damage in his left ankle, was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Hansen.

Last year at St. John’s, Hansen was 3-2 with a school-record 14 saves and a 1.68 ERA in 31 appearances. He struck out 85, held opponents to a .173 batting average and was named the Big East pitcher of the year. In three seasons at St. John’s, the 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hansen was 7-6 with 26 saves and a 3.49 ERA in 83 games. Hansen gets a $1,325,000 signing bonus, payable $441,667 within 15 days of the contract being approved, $441,667 next Jan. 15 and $441,666 on Aug. 15 next year. He receives a salary of $575,000 for the remainder of this season and $700,000 salaries for each of the next three years.


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