The Phillies made a minor move the day before the season in the form of a trade. With a large number of right-handed bullpen arms that profile rather similarly, one was expendable. The Phillies used that surplus to enhance their international signings.
The Phillies announced that they traded reliever Ricardo Pinto to the Chicago White Sox. The Phillies got in return some international bonus slot dollars in return. This is very important for the Phillies, who are at a disadvantage in terms of their signing dollars.
The newest collective bargaining agreement calls for teams to lose $500,000 of their international signing bonus pool for signing a free agent with a qualifying offer. The Phillies signed two this offseason: starter Jake Arrieta and first baseman Carlos Santana.
The Phillies called up Pinto last year out of desperation. While Pinto was likely not ready for the major leagues, he ended up making 25 appearances for the big club. He finished the season with a record of 1-2 and an earned run average of 7.89.
The Phillies had designated Pinto's contract for assignment to make room for Scott Kingery on the 40-man roster.
