The New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays completed their trade for right-handed pitcher Wilmer Font on Monday.
Font, 29 this month, was originally acquired by the Mets on May 6 for cash considerations or a player to be named later. We have now learned that it is in fact the latter, as Tampa Bay has acquired right-handed pitching prospect Neraldo Catalina from New York.
Catalina, 18, has yet to pitch in a professional game for the Mets. He signed with the team on July 2, 2018 out of the Dominican Republic for a $150,000 bonus, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
Badler also notes that Catalina is 6’6″ and 205 lbs, with a hard slider and fastball that is already topping 95 mph.
For Tampa Bay, this is an interesting trade. Catalina is a good guy to take a chance on and hope he pans out a couple years down the line.
