The Los Angeles Dodgers traded prospects Aldrín Batista and Máximo Martínez to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for international slot money.
The amount of international slot money the Dodgers received was not announced, but teams are required to trade it in increments of $250,000, unless they have less than that in their pool.
The White Sox led MLB with an $1,410,000 international bonus pool as of June 11, while the Dodgers had just $6,500 available. Players who sign for $10,000 or less don’t count against the pool.
Although the August 1 trade deadline already passed, Minor League players not on a 40-man roster are still eligible to be dealt, and players must be in an organization by August 31 to be eligible to appear in the postseason for their club.
Batista is a right-handed pitcher who was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic on June 1, 2022.
The 20-year-old stands 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, and touches 97 mph with his fastball. However, Batista primarily uses a softer sinker, along with a slider that sits in the low 80s.
Batista was 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA in 39 innings with 54 strikeouts in 10 games (seven starts) this year for the Arizona Complex League Dodgers. He leads the ACL in strikeouts, ranks second in ERA and WHIP (1.23), fourth in opponents batting average (.237) and eighth in innings pitched.
Martínez is another right-handed pitching prospect, who was first signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent on January 15, 2021, out of Venezuela. Like Batista, Martínez also stands 6’2 and 185 pounds, and utilizes a fastball in the upper-90s, along with a hard slider.
The 19-year-old dealt with injuries last year, but has returned this season with a 4.73 ERA in 26.2 innings, along with 28 strikeouts over nine games (five starts) for the ACL Dodgers. He has allowed one or no earned runs over three-plus innings in six of his nine outings.
Why did Dodgers trade prospects for international slot money?
The Dodgers likely made the move with a specific target in mind on the international market, but it remains to be seen who they want to sign. The current period runs through December 15.
The top international free agent is Hyun-seok Jang, a 19-year-old pitcher out of South Korea who is skipping the KBO Draft to pursue his MLB dream. However, Jang may wait until the next signing period to sign when teams have more money available.
The Dodgers entered this signing period with only $4,144,000 to spend, which was tied with the Texas Rangers for the lowest bonus pool in the Majors.
They still came to terms with 13 international amateur free agents on the first day, including Joendry Vargas (shortstop; Dominican Republic) and Arnaldo Lantigua (outfielder; Dominican Republic).
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