The Dodgers announced that they’ve traded minor league outfielder Arnaldo Lantigua to the Reds for international bonus pool space. Cincinnati is reportedly sending $1.5MM in pool room to the Dodgers. Bonus pool money must be traded in multiples of $250K. Los Angeles now has sufficient funds to finalize their $6.5MM deal with Roki Sasaki.
Lantigua, 19, signed out of the Dominican Republic two seasons ago. The right-handed hitter has played two seasons in the Dominican Summer League and has yet to make the move stateside. Baseball America writes that he received mixed reviews from scouts despite a strong statistical performance. Lantigua has raw power projection on a 6’2″ frame but is expected to move to a corner outfield spot long term. That’ll put pressure on him to develop his pure hitting ability.
Cincinnati evidently preferred Lantigua as a development play to other players they may have added in this year’s international class. The Dodgers have added more than $2MM to their pool between this trade and their deal sending outfielder Dylan Campbell to Philadelphia. They had begun the day with $5.1462MM in their allotment.
The Lantigua deal allows the Dodgers to not only sign Sasaki but to finalize other low-cost international signings. L.A. lost a trio of players who had initially committed to join the team. Dominican infielder Darell Morel (Pirates), Venezuelan outfielder Oscar Patiño (White Sox), and Dominican outfielder Teilon Serrano (Twins) have signed elsewhere. Francys Romero reports that L.A. intends to complete its other verbal agreements — roughly 15 in total. Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports that the Dodgers finalized a deal with Venezuelan pitcher Carlos Ramirez tonight.
Francys Romero first reported that the Reds were acquiring Lantigua for more than $1MM in pool space. C. Trent Rosecrans and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported the $1.5MM figure.
Padres suck
Lame.
Ok butter biscuits. That is the —– name ever.
Creamiest?
Dreamiest?
Streamiest?
Congrats to bluejays for finishing 2nd in the sasaki race
The only 2nd pl finish they’ll come close to this yr
2nd place kings
The Jays may finish in 2nd place for the lowest WC seed.
Used to make the handshake deal look good.
Reds are traders
They would have had to send me a lot more if I was a GM. Blue Jays probably feel like fools as a straw buyer now.
So the Reds trade pool space to the Dodgers for them to get Sasaki for a guy that has mixed reviews instead of using the funds themselves.
A typical move of this incompetent front office.
The Reds basicly picking up a prospect for some money they might not have spent anyway. They gamble the money they probably might not spent to pick up a prospect
“Cincinnati evidently preferred Lantigua as a development play to other players they may have added in this year’s international class.”
they miss Aristides Aquino, I suppose
Once again, another team helped the Dodgers. Just say No
That is so pathetic. They are not helping the Dodgers. Sasaki wanted to go to a quality organization in a great city so other teams who had no shot and no better 16 year olds to sign are smart to leverage it for a potentially good player. You really don’t understand baseball.
Thanks for letting us know what sasaki wanted, it’s been said since before he was even posted he wanted to be a dodger. They absolutely helped them though if they somehow have up 1.5 mill for a dude that had minimal success in the dsl
teams live in reality. They are trying to get better themselves. The object of the game isn’t to deny the Dodgers… that’s just a narrow minded fan thing.
@Never
So what part of LA are you from? I’m feeling San Gabriel Valley vibes.
We may not understand baseball like the genius that you are. Sounds like you are a baseball GM…? Oh that’s right, unemployed. Stop calling people pathetic and let them have opinions.
Really Reds. No teams should be helping the Dodgers
What a dumb comment. Amazing how little you must understand. Hopefully your job does not allow you make any important decisions.
I’m disgusted in my team you are an accomplice in the Sasaki signing smh. Even more reason to hate being a reds fan today
To be fair, a number of fans are self loathing anyway – this doesn’t change anything. Whiners gonna whine.
At least the Blue Jays can take satisfaction that their team was preferred over 28 other teams. Ha ha,
Why help the dodgers ? So stupid
The only bright side is if this player becomes another Yordan. Dodgers gave up on him
Here I am stoned, trying to find Pool Space’s minor league stats on baseball reference
Pool Space played in Japan I think.
The dodgers while lame are not the reason the reds aren’t competitive enough to contend
Doom n gloom, everybody’s in 1st right now. They weren’t helping Dodgers, they were trying to help themselves by acquiring Dodger assets. Baseball business.
I haven’t seen this kid but LA has. Probably just sold high. Stats are impressive though.
Agreed on the stats. Also, I mean he’s an 18 year old prospect so you never know but if the Reds have any information on the kid, they must have thought it was worth the price. Besides, I’m sure Sasaki would have signed with the Dodgers for whatever they could afford. Clearly the Jays could have offered him more than what LA had available.
I am shocked. Shocked I tell you that This One Belongs to the Reds thinks this deal sucks for the Reds and that they are stupid.
The Dodgers were the destination for this guy as he wanted to play in a big market with a Japanese population. They were going to get their money one way or another.
Everybody in this chat defending the reds…dodgers fans. And yes everybody with a brain knew he was going to LA. Why work for something when you can just join a superteam. Pathetic. You dont buy a non prospect for 1.5 mill grains of sand let alone dollars Cinci
You do when it’s money you will lose if you don’t spend it. They’re not throwing away money they can invest elsewhere in the team. If that is what they had leftover from all of their international signings it makes sense to use it to acquire a player they probably tried to sign when the Dodgers originally signed him.
Uhhhh no, thats just giving the money away he was 19 years old in a dominican rookie league for a reason.
I wonder if Pete Alonso to the Mariners is becoming more likely. The Mariners are the only team I see beating the Dodgers.
Mariners beating the Dodgers? The Mariners can’t even beat off
Some of you all are driving yourselves insane with anything related to the Dodgers. The Reds helped themselves not the Dodgers. Unless I’m mistaken, if you don’t spend the money marked for international free agents you lose it. Nothing wrong with sending money elsewhere for a prospect that may work out one day. He probably won’t but nobody ever questions that with the 10-15 guys every team signs every year. Very few of them make it to the big leagues and even rarer do any of them become impact players if you base it off of the percentage of guys signed every year.
The international free agent signings is literally MLB’s version of the lottery. Every now and again a few teams hit and make their club that much better.
Here is to multiple Tommy John surgeries on the Doyers staff this year
Classy. Wishing players to hurt themselves. Scumbag.
Uhhh… no. I love this game and hate to see anyone get injured. I want the Dodger pitchers to be beaten (badly) by hitters throughout the league. Season hasn’t started yet. The best players are always learning, adjusting and looking to improve their game. Welcome to America Roki. I’m not a Dodgers fan and want them beaten. Some may already want to give Roki the 2025 Cy Young. We’ll see. Looking forward to good games throughout the year.
Why any teams trade with the dodgers at this point is incomprehensible. They want more money to sign international free agents plus give to Roki. Why help them unless you fleece them?
Sasaki represents one more glaring inequity in MLB. Why should Sasaki be able to choose which team he will play for, but American college players can not? Will additional asian baseball players choose this same course next year? Another reason there will be no MLB played in the spring of 2027. Maybe not the summer of 2027 either.
Its dumb but everyone agreed on the rules in the CBA. Lots of dumb things in the CBA. Why are comp picks related to revenue sharing for example? They got the revenue shared.
You weren’t crying when Otani picked the Angels, and you wouldn’t be crying had Roki picked the Jays. The league isn’t going to create one set of rules for the Dodgers just because your feelings are hurt cuz your team missed out.