The other prospect signing Keller's leadership secured is another thing the Sox got right in their international class.
Paddy was recently let go after running the international department for 12 years. The problem was a lot of the players his staff discovered were not making it to the big leagues. If they did get to the show, they were usually not very good.
Look no further than how Lenyn Sosa has done outside of his strong September last season. Paddy does deserve credit for signing Luis Robert Jr. but he was an older prospect. His misses recently were enough for general manager Chris Getz to want to overhaul that department.
Still, it was actually nice for Keller to keep the franchise's word as some of the money being handed out to these prospects is life-changing. It cannot hurt to keep these commitments as there is not much risk and nothing but reward if one or more of these players hits.
Keller's new international scouting team also secured another promising signing when they got 16-year-old pitcher Yobal Rodriguez to join the franchise.
Rodriguez is a right-handed pitcher whose fastball is already hitting 91-94mph. Romero considers him one of the dark horses of this year's international free-agent class.
Cuban RHP Yobal Rodriguez (16) officially signs with the Chicago White Sox.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 15, 2025
Bonus deal: $300,000.
One of the potential dark horses of the international class, a 6'3" pitcher with a fastball sitting at 91-94 MPH and projecting over 98 MPH. pic.twitter.com/CvwwUASB0I
Being able to add Rodriguez late in the process is a nice sign that maybe Keller is able to upgrade the players the White Sox are adding in such a vital pipeline of acquiring talent.