South Siders Snag International Prospect Orlando Patiño

Chicago pried him from the grasp of the Dodgers with thanks to Rōki Sasaki

Venezuelan outfielder Orlando Patiño, initially bound for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has shifted his plans and is now set to sign with the Chicago White Sox, per Baseball America’s Ben Badler.

This development follows the posting of Japanese pitcher Rōki Sasaki, which complicated the Dodgers’ ability to finalize a deal with Patiño. The Dodgers couldn’t guarantee they could sign Patiño on the designated date (January 15th) due to the potential financial constraints imposed by the pursuit of Sasaki. Consequently, Patiño’s representatives informed the Dodgers of his intention to explore other options.

Patiño is expected to ink a deal with the White Sox for $570,000, a substantial increase from the $400,000 the Dodgers initially offered.

At 6’2” and 203 pounds, Patiño possesses impressive strength for his age and demonstrates significant right-handed power. While further physical development may be limited, he already exhibits an impactful swing designed to generate lift. With the current state of the offense in the minors right now, a powerful bat is very much needed. Projected as a corner outfielder, Patiño also boasts a plus arm, making him a natural fit for right field. This seems to be a reasonable and thoughtful addition by Chris Getz and Co.

If the South Siders can’t land Sasaki, they might as well benefit from the situation. This is the type of move you would expect from a competent organization, so I’ll give some props to Getz and the new head of international scouting, David Keller. Nice job, boys!

Leading the White Sox’s international signing class this period so far is Cuban third baseman Alejandro Cruz, who is a highly regarded prospect, ranking 33rd on MLB Pipeline’s list. Chicago does, however, have a bit of international pool money left, approximately $2 million. They could use it to sign additional prospects or even trade away some of it to teams still in the Sasaki sweepstakes. According to a report yesterday by MLB’s Jon Heyman, there are three teams still left standing: the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and the surprising dark horse Toronto Blue Jays.