12:57pm: Boston is indeed closing in on a final agreement, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports, though it’s still not over the finish line. He adds that the Red Sox had previously moved their offer to over $3.5MM — well above the ~$3.2MM slot allocation — and has crept further northward in recent days.

10:53am: The Red Sox are close to a deal with first-round draft pick Jason Groome, according to Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). The young southpaw is in Boston for his physical, but the sides are still finalizing the contract terms.

Last we checked, the sides were headed toward an arrangement but still haggling over the final price. With Groome making the trip to get his medical clearance, it certainly seems that any remaining gap will be bridged in short order.

A high-school starter, Groome entered the draft as one of the most highly-rated prospects available, with MLB.com (#1), ESPN.com (#2), and Baseball America (#3) all listing him at or near the top of their boards. Chatter about his makeup seemingly took him out of contention for the top several picks, leaving other organizations in position to nab him down the line. While the Padres were said to have put a high-budget offer on the table later in the first round, the Sox chose to take a chance on signing him.