Fastball

Chicago White Sox Flip Top 100 International Prospect on Eve of Signing Period

With the Roki Sasaki situation throwing a wrench into the market, the Chicago White Sox are capitalizing.
Brady Farkas|
A detailed view of a Chicago White Sox hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Truist Park in 2023.
A detailed view of a Chicago White Sox hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Truist Park in 2023. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have gotten top international prospect Orlando Patino to flip on his commitment with one day to go until the signing period opens.

Patino is ranked as the No. 81 international prospect in the game for this class, per Baseball America.

Patino had been set to sign with the Dodgers, but as Los Angeles tries to lock up Roki Sasaki, they may not have the money available to sign Patino. As a result, he's going elsewhere where the paycheck is guaranteed.

Here's what Baseball America had to say about his skillset:

Patiño was set to sign with the Dodgers, but with the uncertainty of the Roki Sasaki situation, he’s now in line to join the White Sox. At 6-foot-2, 203 pounds, Patiño has a muscular build and packs plenty of strength behind a righthanded swing that’s geared to lift the ball with potential plus power. He projects as a right fielder with a plus arm.

Coming off a 41-121 season, the White Sox need a massive organizational talent infusion, regardless of where it comes from. Patino is obviously years away from reaching the majors but the most sustainable path to contention is through the development of your own prospects.

The White Sox thought they had that sustainable pipeline built with Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert Jr., but Moncada and Jimenez are now gone and Robert Jr. could be on the way out in a trade at some point during the 2025 season.

The White Sox report to spring training in just about one month.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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