Prior to the beginning of the July 2 international signing period, it seemed to be only a formality before the Red Sox would sign Dominican lefthander Victor Payano for a $900,000 bonus on July 2.

Yet Payano remains unsigned, as he did not pass his physical with the Red Sox, according to Baseball America correspondent Alex Speier. Payano, 16, is a projectable 6-foot-4, 180 pounds and throws his fastball in the mid- to high-80s with a slurvy breaking ball and an occasional changeup.

Payano is not the only high-profile Latin American signing who remains unsigned (more on them in the coming weeks). Some of them, including Dominican shortstop Miguel Sano, remain in limbo as they await Major League Baseball’s completion of their background checks.

Other players still have asking prices that teams have yet to meet. The thought from some international sources is that those players will likely wait until after Aug. 17 (the deadline for draft picks to sign) with the hopes that they can create a better market by involving teams that are unable to sign their top picks.