We’ve got ourselves a late night trade as the Mariners jockey for position in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes.
The Mariners gave up their 5th round pick, a well-regarded defensive catcher who hit respectably in Low-A Everett this year and signed for $300,000. Seattle’s number 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Banuelos will be missed, particularly as this leaves Joe DeCarlo the best catching prospect left in the system, and he has been a catcher for under a calendar year, but if the result is Ohtani it’s tough not to see this as a win.
Seattle received $1 million in international slot money, putting them at just above $2.